Nephrology Services

Loyola Medicine’s nephrology team offers evaluation and treatment of patients with acute and chronic kidney diseases, including kidney stone disease, disorders of fluid and electrolytes and renal disease during pregnancy. Our specialists also have gained recognition for their expertise in treating difficult-to-manage and complicated renal hypertension.

Loyola’s skilled nephrologists provide comprehensive treatment for chronic kidney diseases, including:

• Hemodialysis — This process removes blood from the body and sends it across a filter to remove harmful substances; the blood is then returned to the body. The staff at the Loyola Center for Dialysis on Roosevelt will work closely with you, your family and your nephrologist to coordinate all aspects of your dialysis care. Patients who receive hemodialysis usually have treatment three times a week, and each treatment takes about three to four hours. Treatment starts by linking blood vessel access to the hemodialysis machine; you then will relax in a recliner chair until the process is complete. Apart from the initial needle insertion, it is a painless treatment, and Loyola’s staff will monitor you for fluctuations in blood pressure. Learn about kidney dialysis.
   
• Home peritoneal dialysis — During home peritoneal dialysis, blood vessels in your abdominal lining (peritoneum) fill in for your kidneys, with the help of a fluid that aids filtration and flows in and out of your abdominal lining. After thorough training, patients can give themselves treatments at home or while traveling. Treatments are done at home seven nights a week while the patient is sleeping. Patients and caregivers are taught how to handle the equipment, initiate the dialysis treatment, keep treatment records and monitor the machine and blood pressure. Supplies are delivered to your home, and you will have blood tests about once a month to monitor how well the procedure is working for you. Learn about kidney dialysis.
   
• Kidney transplant surgery — Loyola’s Transplant Center has the medical expertise and technological resources to care for the most difficult conditions, whether you need a kidney or a multi-organ transplant. Since 1971, Loyola’s nephrology program has provided a full range of services for patients of all ages as they prepare for a kidney transplant. Loyola’s association with the National Kidney Registry (NKR) gives hard-to-match recipients a better chance of finding the best kidney. Learn about kidney transplant surgery at Loyola.
   
• Metabolic evaluation of kidney stones — For patients with a history of kidney stones, your Loyola nephrologist may suggest metabolic evaluation, which is a series of blood and urine tests, to determine the cause of your stones. The goal with this treatment is to prevent further stone development and further growth of existing stones.
   
• Renal biopsy — For patients with a suspected kidney problem, confirmed kidney disease or a kidney transplant, your doctor may recommend a kidney biopsy. In this procedure, a small piece of tissue will be removed from your kidney so that your doctor can examine it.

Loyola Center for Dialysis on Roosevelt

Loyola provides adult and pediatric hemodialysis and in-home peritoneal dialysis. With 30 stations and one isolation station, the Loyola Center for Dialysis on Roosevelt offers complete services for patients who need dialysis treatments. Our dialysis center is dedicated to serving each patient’s individual needs, whether a patient is newly diagnosed with kidney failure or requires maintenance treatments for chronic kidney failure. Loyola can help you live your life comfortably and conveniently.

Kidney Transplant Center

If kidney transplant is recommended for your kidney condition, Loyola’s nephrologists work with surgeons from our renowned kidney transplant center to provide consultation before kidney transplant surgery and long-term follow-up care after transplantation.

Research

Loyola’s expert nephrology program is actively pursuing new research with a focus on patient-centered outcomes, including studies on:

• Development and evaluation of new dialysis therapies
• Evaluation of new therapies for renal hypertension
• Genetic factors in kidney disease
• Hypertensive and diabetic kidney disease
• Management of anemia and other complications of chronic kidney disease
• Pathogenesis of renal hypertension in experimental models

As an academic medical center, Loyola is dedicated to improving future treatments by conducting research on new diagnostics and treatments. Loyola’s patients benefit from research discoveries made here. Read about Loyola’s current clinical trials.