This book provides healthcare professionals in Critical Care setting an easy consultation guide to fight against COVID-19. The book is divided into sections: Fundamentals of COVID-19, Pneumological critical care, Neurological manifestations, Cardiovascular manifestations, Renal manifestations, Haemostasis and coagulation, Other multi-organs involvement, Principles of therapy. Each section includes: * brief pathophysiology of COVID-19 (ventilation, neurological, cardiovascular, etc.); * principles of management (enriched with flowcharts and figures); * principles of therapy; * tips and key messages. Readers can find the most updated advices on how to face the ongoing pandemic: from principles of conventional oxygen therapy, assisted and invasive mechanical ventilation in critically ill COVID-19 patients to the complications sometimes underestimated. Tables and flowcharts provided are based on current knowledge in COVID-19 to help the clinician managing COVID-19 patients by a multiple-organs prospective. Written by international key opinion leaders of each field, the book represents a point of reference for all professionals involved in the management of COVID-19 pandemic.

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is defined as the retrograde flow of urine from the bladder to the upper urinary tract. It is a common urological entity among children and it is usually diagnosed in the prenatal period or after episodes of febrile urinary tract infection. Reflux can also be found in post-pubertal patients, but it is less common in this population. Pyelonephritis is an upper urinary tract infection involving the kidneys with an incidence in the USA as high as 250.000 cases per year. Most episodes of pyelonephritis are generally considered to be uncomplicated in healthy non pregnant adults. Different risk factors have been identified, such as diabetes, urinary tract obstruction, presence of an indwelling urethral catheter, stent or nephrostomy, functional or anatomic abnormalities of the urinary tract, renal transplantation, immunosuppressive therapy and pregnancy. This book discusses the causes, prevalence and treatment approaches of both VUR and pylonephritis.

Urolithiasis is one of the oldest documented medical ailments with archeological evidence showing that humans have suffered from kidney and bladder stones for centuries. Urolithiasis is a common multifactorial problem with multi-effect on the patients' quality of life and an economic burden on the individual and the health system of the country. Various intrinsic and extrinsic factors are associated with the risk for stone formation. Among intrinsic factors are race, sex, and genetics. Finding the cause of urolithiasis or establishing it early in life will reduce the consequence and complications of kidney stone disease and hence reduction of the cost in the treatment by establishing preventative measures in addition to patient education. Genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of urolithiasis as a polygenic (common) or monogenic (rare) forms, however its knowledge and early diagnosis is important for achieving the goals of reducing patient suffering as well as economic burdens that inevitably follow a diagnosis. This book discusses the symptoms, management and prevention strategies of urolithiasis.

Glomerulonephritis is a term referring to direct injury of the glomeruli with resulting disturbances of normal glomerular function, progressively leading to renal failure. Glomerular diseases are classified as primary, where glomerular damage is the prime disturbance, with extrarenal manifestations as a result of renal impairment, and secondary, following systemic disorders, infections or exposure to certain drugs. Although noteworthy progress has been made in the past years in the symptomatic and specific treatment, therapy of both primary and secondary glomerulonephritis can be challenging. Management of these patients requires early diagnosis, expert knowledge of the immunosuppressive agents and other drugs currently available for the treatment of each glomerulonephritis, consideration of possible adverse reactions to these drugs, alternative therapeutic strategies in cases of hyporesponsiveness or non-responsiveness of the patient to the treatment, and possible relapses of the disease. This book reviews knowledge of the main primary and secondary glomerulonephritis, with emphasis on current therapeutic strategies and practical recommendations. Glomerulonephritis are grouped according the presence or absence of proliferative histological alternations into primary and secondary proliferative and non-proliferative types. Each chapter deals with etiopathogenesis, epidemiology, pathology, clinical manifestations, natural history and therapeutic options of the commonest primary and secondary glomerular diseases, with exception the last chapter that covers inherited diseases with renal involvement. An atlas of the pathology of the glomerular diseases discussed completes this work.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is characterized by the triad non-immune micro-angiopathic hemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure. The disease mainly affects children one to ten years of age. It begins after an incubation period of 4 to 7 days with abrupt onset of bloody diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Two to ten days later, microangiopathy, haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure develop. HUS microangiopathy can involve almost any organ, but damage to kidneys and central nervous system cause the most severe clinical problems. This book discusses the symptoms, the treatment options and prognosis of HUS.

Acute kidney injury (AKI), defined as an abrupt decrease in renal function over a period of hours to days, is a common complication among hospitalised patients with different acute diseases. Its incidence has been increasing in recent years and is reported to be very high especially in the acute settings. Since clinical signs and symptoms of acute renal damage are not specific, it is difficult to promptly distinguish AKI at the time of patient presentation. Currently the diagnosis of AKI requires serial assessment of laboratory tests over a period of several days, and is based mainly on the evaluation of serum creatinine (sCr) and decrease in urine output as supported by Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, and End-Stage Kidney Disease (RIFLE) criteria, Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria, and the recent Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) practice guidelines for AKI. Such a need for repeated sCr evaluations and monitoring of urinary output for too long time after admission could therefore result in a diagnostic delay. With delays in diagnosis, clinicians miss opportunities to start appropriate treatment to minimise damage, and patients incur more severe AKI with subsequent greater risk of developing progression of renal damage leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD), dialysis and increased risk of severe cardiovascular diseases and death.

Handbook of Peritoneal Dialysis Second Edition Steven Guest M.D. This book is a guide to the clinical practice of Peritoneal Dialysis. Chapters provide the core curriculum for expertise in PD therapy and address relevant clinical challenges faced by caregivers. Contained in this Handbook: Peritoneal Membrane Physiology, PET, Modified PET, DATT, Acute and Chronic PD Prescription, Catheters and Placement Techniques, PD Solutions, Infectious and Non-infectious Complications, Fluid Management in PD, PD in the Diabetic and Morbidly Obese Patient, Nutritional and Metabolic Issues in PD, Survival in the PD Population, Setting Up a PD Program / Infrastructure.

This book with its most comprehensive and illuminating chapters covers all the relevant areas of hemodialysis practice including access for hemodialysis, hemodialysis modeling and membranes, timing of hemodialysis, infections in hemodialysis, the application of hemodialysis in extra-renal disease, the various formats of hemodialysis from nocturnal through SLED to apheresis and the wearable artificial kidney, convective hemodialysis methodologies, and various clinical aspects of hemodialysis including protein-calorie-malnutrition, inflammation, haemoglobin stability and sleep disorders in ESRD patients and so on. Furthermore, the inclusion of such new topics as the syndrome of rapid-onset end stage renal disease (SORO-ESRD), and the place of reduced HBV testing among ESRD patients in regions with less de novo HBV incidence to cut down on costs of delivery of hemodialysis care without loss of quality of care, are new paradigms that would play stronger roles in hemodialysis care, well into the 21st century.

Kathleen and 24 of her fellow patients provide easy-to-read helpful tips and share their personal experience, that is both useful and informative. This book will certainly assist those who are currently on dialysis or about to start it. Dialysis is not easy, but this information may give you a much better understanding and change the way you feel about it. Attitude is most important. Staying positive and finding some new ways to combat the negatives just might make it a whole lot easier.

Renal Cancer: Current Status and Innovations provides a useful guide to the fundamental basics and latest diagnostic and treatment techniques for Renal Cancer. It features clearly structured and easy-to-understand chapters enabling the reader to develop a thorough understanding of screening, surveillance, diagnostics, pathology, robotic and open surgical approaches, ablation, medical treatment, psychology, and future innovations. The book provides a valuable resource for the full spectrum of clinicians involved in the multidisciplinary management of Renal Cancer.

Pathology of the Kidney in Dysproteinemia is an academic monograph describing in detail the causes and development of structural and functional changes in the human kidney resulting from the deposition of abnormal circulating serum proteins. The material presented was obtained from 147 cases of renal involvement associated with Dysproteinemia encountered in university and community hospital settings. The described entities account for 4.5% of 3.260 biopsies of native kidneys examined over a period of approximately 25 years. While some of the lesions are quite rare, others are relatively common and seen fairly frequently in a reasonably busy renal biopsy service. Together they constitute a group of extremely interesting lesions in terms of immunology, morphology, and pathogenesis.This book should be of interest to pathologists- especially renal pathologists, immunologists, and internists. Both general internists and sub-specialists in nephrology and hematology will find this volume useful, as will medical residents and medical technologists in these various specialties. As a monograph it is user-friendly, since the subject matter is sufficiently circumscribed to permit expanded or detailed visual and textual treatment of specific lesions in a single easy-to-wield volume.

The discovery of a potent vasoconstrictor, endothelin (ET)-1, derived from vascular endothelial cells was among a variety of key lines of investigation that helped to fuel a major explosion of studies related to endothelial cell biology. This was particularly evident within the pharmaceutical industry where receptor antagonists were quickly developed and are now on the market for treatment of pulmonary hypertension and in development for other diseases such as diabetic nephropathy and cancer. Importantly, we know that the kidney contains the highest level of ET-1 production and receptor expression in the body where it has been demonstrated to function as a pro-natriuretic autocrine and paracrine factor that is activated in conditions of high salt intake. This eBook provides a review of the various mechanisms whereby ET-1 has been shown to function within the kidney through a wide range of actions that include direct effects on tubular transport, intrarenal hemodynamics, as well as neural and endocrine functions. Much has yet to be discerned, but it is clear that the ET system is a major physiological regulator of fluid-electrolyte balance and blood pressure through these renal actions. Table of Contents: Discovery of Endothelin / Basic Biology of the Endothelin System / Renal Localization / Renal Hemodynamics / Renal Tubular Actions of Endothelin / Endothelin in Neural Modulation of Renal Function / Physiological Role of Endothelin / Endothelin in Renal Pathology / References / Author Biographies

Despite our efforts at creating clinical performance measures, clinical practice guidelines and intense government regulations, we still have disparities in care, poor outcomes and quality that is inferior to many other nations. Bundling and payment reform challenge the ability to deliver good care to patients even further. Chronic dialysis is at a crossroads. Physicians and providers must incorporate new approaches, reinventing the paradigm of how to plot the course of patient therapy. This book offers new ideas. It is refreshing, timely and engaging, with a wide range of topics by leading authors, each designed to help meet the challenges yet to come.

Gabriel of Urantia asked the question, in the beginning of his struggle with dialysis, "God, why is this happening to me?" Throughout his 8-month dialysis experience, 3 days a week, 4 hours a day, being tied down to a chair while his blood flowed from his body through a machine and back, he realizes-from the people he meets also on dialysis and in the hospitals after post-kidney-transplant-that very bad things happen to very good people. He met young and old alike, tied down to the machines just like he was, and the young people were the hardest for him to resolve in his mind with God and also to try to give them hope. As a minister, he felt obligated to do so. Being a Pastor of a church (Global Community Communications Alliance-a very social, environmental, and spiritual activist church), he knew that bad things happened to good people who try to change the world. But this disease is personal, between him and God you might say. So he had to discover for himself why God allowed this to happen to him and to the other very good people he met with various traumatic illnesses in the hospitals and dialysis centers. Gabriel of Urantia tries to explain how he felt along the path, from the beginning to the receiving of his new kidney from his 22-year-old daughter and gaining the hope and health to continue not only his spiritual work, but his work as a musician, guitar player, and singer (in which he was planning a tour around the country with his 11-piece Bright & Morning Star Band), while now taking immunosuppressant drugs to keep him alive. He had all the fears that a new transplant patient has. How long will the kidney last? What other affects do these drugs have on my body? He writes about his experience with the medical world, the services he experienced from both very qualified people and those not so qualified (experienced and inexperienced care givers), as well as the bureaucracy of the medical field and insurance companies (both private and governmental). He realized that often in the medical field, the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing and the patient suffered the results. Beyond that, Gabriel of Urantia tries to give hope to people with life-threatening illnesses by sharing his faith in the Creator to all who may read his book. A must-read for anyone on dialysis or with any life-threatening illness, from a writer who went through this and can identify with what they are going through and give them hope through this trauma in their lives.

Heme oxygenases (HOs) are the enzymes responsible for the breakdown of heme and the generation of biliverdin/bilirubin and carbon monoxide (CO). The kidney is a complex organ consisting of many different cell types all working together for the single purpose of filtering the blood to eliminate waste products and conserving ions, minerals, and water necessary for life. HO enzymes and their products play a critical role in the normal function of the kidney as well as protecting the kidney from various insults including ischemia and exposure to nephrotoxins. For example, the HO metabolite, bilirubin, is a potent antioxidant which can limit damage to renal tubular epithelial cells following exposure to nephrotoxins associated with chemotherapy or traumatic injury. Another HO metabolite, CO, is an important vasodilator of renal blood vessels and helps protect against severe decreases in renal blood flow in conditions as diverse as exposure to radiocontrast agents and in hypertension-induced kidney disease. HO and its metabolites also play an important role in the survival of kidney cells after acute and chronic injuries by regulating important cell growth and programmed cell death pathways. The intent of this volume is to highlight the important role that HO enzymes and their related metabolites, bilirubin and CO, play in the regulation of renal function and in the response of the kidney to both acute and chronic pathologies. Table of Contents: Introduction to the HO System / HO and Renal Vascular Function / HO and Renal Tubule Function / HO and Acute Kidney Injury / HO and Chronic Kidney Injury / Future of Renal HO Research / References

This book is intended for use by nephrologists, internists, hospitals, trainees in these specialties and indeed anyone interested in renal medicine. It contains top-class authoritative and up-to-date reviews by internationally renowned experts coming from some of the best nephrology centres in the world. It covers the diagnosis, causes and management of acute kidney injury. It also includes a discussion of the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease, including the use of simple clinical and laboratory data, imaging, proteinomics and renal biopsy. It reviews the general management of chronic kidney disease, including an in-depth analysis of kidney transplant immunology. This book is therefore a comprehensive, authoritative text with clear explanation of even the most complex topics.

The focus of this book is to provide a nephrology reference manual for the developing pediatrician and pediatric nephrologist. Its objective is not only to inform but also to teach -- one that inspires thinking in the reader. The contents and level of teaching in the manual are intended for trainees at four different levels: medical student, intern, resident and fellow. This handbook provides what other nephrology textbooks cannot -- a useful and practical guidebook that is written to teach at a level that is appropriate for various stages of learning. Each chapter focuses on a specific topic, followed by several patient cases, and with an answer and discussion of each case.

In this book, the authors present topical research in the study of the indications, procedures and complications of hemodialysis. Topics discussed in this compilation include cardiovascular involvement in chronic kidney disease; nutritional therapy during hemodialysis; vascular access and common complications in patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment; prevention of hemodialysis catheter-related infections; antiplatelet medication and the risk of bleeding in hemodialysis; and vascular calcifications in end stage renal disease.

Gabriel of Urantia asked the question, in the beginning of his struggle with dialysis, "God, why is this happening to me?" Throughout his 8-month dialysis experience, 3 days a week, 4 hours a day, being tied down to a chair while his blood flowed from his body through a machine and back, he realizes-from the people he meets also on dialysis and in the hospitals after post-kidney-transplant-that very bad things happen to very good people. He met young and old alike, tied down to the machines just like he was, and the young people were the hardest for him to resolve in his mind with God and also to try to give them hope. As a minister, he felt obligated to do so. Being a Pastor of a church (Global Community Communications Alliance-a very social, environmental, and spiritual activist church), he knew that bad things happened to good people who try to change the world. But this disease is personal, between him and God you might say. So he had to discover for himself why God allowed this to happen to him and to the other very good people he met with various traumatic illnesses in the hospitals and dialysis centers. Gabriel of Urantia tries to explain how he felt along the path, from the beginning to the receiving of his new kidney from his 22-year-old daughter and gaining the hope and health to continue not only his spiritual work, but his work as a musician, guitar player, and singer (in which he was planning a tour around the country with his 11-piece Bright & Morning Star Band), while now taking immunosuppressant drugs to keep him alive. He had all the fears that a new transplant patient has. How long will the kidney last? What other affects do these drugs have on my body? He writes about his experience with the medical world, the services he experienced from both very qualified people and those not so qualified (experienced and inexperienced care givers), as well as the bureaucracy of the medical field and insurance companies (both private and governmental). He realized that often in the medical field, the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing and the patient suffered the results. Beyond that, Gabriel of Urantia tries to give hope to people with life-threatening illnesses by sharing his faith in the Creator to all who may read his book. A must-read for anyone on dialysis or with any life-threatening illness, from a writer who went through this and can identify with what they are going through and give them hope through this trauma in their lives.

Dieses Buch informiert umfassend uber physiologische, psycho- logische, soziale, technische und organisatorische Fragen, die im Zusammenhang mit der Dialyse auftreten. Es unterrichtet dar- uber hinaus uber die komplexen Probleme, welche eine chroni- sche Krankheit, die fur den Kranken eine standige, nur durch unausgesetzte medizinische Betreuung und UEberwachung ab- wendbare Todesdrohung bedeutet, fur die Interaktion zwischen Kranken, AErzten, Pflegepersonal und Angehoerigen aufwirft. Da- mit wird das Buch zum Dokument fur eine bemerkenswerte Etappe in der Entwicklung der modernen Medizin, die zwei fur sie vitale Probleme loesen muss Die Einfuhrung des Kranken als Subjekt in die Heilkunde, die Viktor von Weizsacker forderte, und die Integration der sich standig vermehrenden Spezialdiszi- plinen zu einem einheitlichen System. Zu dem ersten Problem dokumentiert das Buch die schein- bar paradoxe Tatsache, dass die Einfuhrung des Kranken als Subjekt, die der Psychologie bisher trotz aller Anstrengungen nicht gelungen ist, von der Perfektion der Technik - gegen deren eigentliche Intention - erzwungen wird. Der Grund dafur ist die Erfahrung, dass die Subjektivitat des Kranken zu einem Hinder- nis fur den technischen Fortschritt in der Medizin wird, das durch weitere Perfektionierung der Technik nicht uberwunden werden kann.

In 1989, the nephrology community was confronted with the combination of high tech and high flux, realising for the first time that short, but mathematically "adequate" therapy resulted in unacceptable outcomes. This book discusses issues that doctors must pay close attention to; those that cause the greatest harm to patients. New discoveries prove that chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes a muscle wasting syndrome, and that epo hyporesponsiveness harbingers a variety of underlying etiologies. From renowned surgeons, doctors are gaining practical insights into methods to improve arteriovenous fistula survival and cardiovascular surgery outcomes. The book applies the new information that can now be accessed to meet the personal needs of these patients.

This manual provides practical and accessible information on all aspects of general nephrology, dialysis, and transplantation. It outlines current therapies in straightforward language to help readers understand the treatment rationale, and does not assume extensive knowledge of anatomy, biochemistry, or pathophysiology. Consisting of 33 chapters written by 31 experts from four continents, this volume covers all the practical tips in the emergency and long-term management of patients with electrolyte disturbance, acid-base disturbance, acute renal failure, common glomerular diseases, hypertension, pregnancy-related renal disorders, chronic renal failure, and renal replacement therapy. It is thus an essential source of quick reference for nephrologists, internists, renal fellows, and renal nursing specialists, and is also suitable for graduate students and research scientists in the field of kidney diseases.

Pocket Companion to Brenner and Rector's The Kidney distills the essential clinical information from the latest edition of the seminal text on kidney diseases and their management. Michael R. Clarkson, Ciara Magee, and Barry M. Brenner detail the key pathophysiologic, diagnostic, and treatment issues in clinical nephrology, including interventional nephrology, endocrine aspects of kidney disease, and plasmapheresis. Diagnose, treat, and manage both common and uncommon disorders. Find clinical knowledge quickly and easily thanks to convenient tables throughout the text. Choose the best option of the many techniques available through discussions of indications for laboratory tests and imaging studies. Enhance your clinical acumen with coverage of new topics such as risk factors and kidney disease, nephron endowment, interventional nephrology, plasmapheresis, xenotransplantation, stem cells in renal biology and medicine, and more. Stay current thanks to two new sections-Epidemiology and Risk Factors in Kidney Disease and Frontiers in Kidney Disease-that include topics such as stem cell and genomics.