FAQ's on Nephrology

Q- What sort of diet should I take while on dialysis?

Ans- A high protein diet should be taken while on dialysis taking care to avoid high potassium food. Most diabetics do not require any anti diabetic medication on dialysis but blood sugars should be monitored regularly (blood sugar between 150 -200 gm/dl is considered desirable).If your sugars are high or low  you would need to consult your doctor.

Q- What is to be done in case of any pus discharge from the exit site of the catheter?

Ans- It should be brought to the notice of your doctor.

Q- How does dialysis work and how long does it take to complete?

Ans- Like healthy kidneys, dialysis keeps your body in balance. It removes waste, salt and extra water, keeps a safe level of certain chemicals in your blood, such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate and helps to control blood pressure. A session of hemodialysis usually takes 4 hours three times a week whereas peritoneal dialysis is a continuous process.

Q- Can dialysis cure my kidney disease?

Ans- No, dialysis does not cure kidney disease. It does the work which the kidneys should be doing.

Q- Do dialysis patients feel normal?

Ans-Patients on adequate dialysis can lead a close to normal life.

Q- Can dialysis patients travel?

Ans- Yes, they can travel and whenever they need to travel they should make prior arrangements for dialysis to wherever they are travelling.

Q- Is dialysis uncomfortable?

Ans- No, most patients are very comfortable on dialysis; they can watch TV or read a book or work on a laptop.

FAQ's on Nephrology

Q- What is dialysis?

Ans- Dialysis is a medical process through which a person's blood is cleansed of the toxins or wastes that kidneys normally remove. It is used when a person's kidneys no longer function optimally. The purpose is to keep the right levels of chemicals, fluids and salts in the body so that body functions normally.

Q- Which doctor should I see if I have if I need Dialysis?

Ans- A Nephrologist or a Physician with interest in kidney diseases.

Q- How many types of dialysis are there?

Ans- Renal dialysis falls into two main divisions: haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

Hemodialysis cleans and filters your blood using a machine to temporarily remove harmful wastes, extra salt, and extra water from your body. Hemodialysis is most often performed in a dialysis centre but home treatment options are also available.

Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of your abdomen and dialysis solution (a mixture of minerals and sugar dissolved in water) to filter your blood removing wastes, chemicals and extra water from your body. After several hours, the used solution is drained from your abdomen through a tube and the cycle is repeated with fresh solution

Q- Which type of dialysis is better?

Ans- Both are good, choice usually depends on personal lifestyle of the patient and certain medical conditions like congestive heart failure, vascular access complications, diabetes etc. Hemodialysis is usually performed at a dialysis centre as compared to peritoneal dialysis which can be safely done at home .CAPD is usually preferred in children as they have small vessels which are difficult to cannulate and repeated needling is painful and difficult in them. Fluid intake can be more liberal in CAPD.

Q- Why does one put on weight in between hemodialysis?

Ans- Putting on weight between dialysis is usual. It is because all food that is consumed by you has some water/ fluid which is not excreted by the diseased kidneys. The amount of weight gain should not be more than 2.5 – 3 kg between two sessions of hemodialysis.

Q- Is it dangerous to skip dialysis?

Ans- Yes, this can lead to fluid overload and breathing problem. It can also increase your serum potassium level which can lead to serious cardiac complications. Therefore skipping dialysis can be life threatening.

Q- What is an access?

Ans- An access usually refers to a vein or vessel from which blood is taken to the dialysis machine and returned back .It can be a catheter, Arterio venous fistula or an Arterio venous graft.

The access which is usually a fistula, graft, or catheter should be taken care of and one should not wear tight clothing or jewellery on the access arm nor should blood pressure be checked on the arm.

Q- What basic precautions should a patient of dialysis take?

Ans- While on dialysis you should watch your diet. In case of any breathing trouble you should contact your doctor as you may require urgent dialysis. Care of the vascular access should be ensured as advised by your physician.

Emergency - Ambulance Services

As the mobile arm of the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals emergency response team, our main role is to respond to Emergency 1066 Calls, getting medical help to patients who have serious or life-threatening injuries or illnesses as quickly as possible. We handle almost 4000 calls per year across Delhi, NCR & Neighbouring States. Every time we receive a 1066 call, our dedicated staffs records the relevant details and use information about the nature of the patient’s illness or injury to ensure they are sent the right medical help. Our Ambulance Services are provided with the "Best Care" possible, with patient comfort and care being our top priority without compromise. Our mini hospitals on wheels are specially chosen to offer superior patient comfort with state of art medical technology & expertise. In addition to providing the best Advanced Life Support (ALS) care, we also have a fleet of Specialized Life Support (SLS) ambulances certified on all levels - Adult, Paediatric, and Neonatal. To staff these vehicles, we have highly qualified Emergency Response Team, who are specially trained in basic life support, acute cardiac life support, advance trauma life support, to attend to any given emergency situation. Critical Care certification teaches our experienced paramedics to utilize advanced equipment such as ventilators, invasive monitoring devices and lines, and other such equipments found in intensive and critical care settings.

Emergency - Air Evacuation

At Apollo Emergency, our foremost priority is to reach a patient in need of medical help ASAP. The treatment given to an Emergency victim in the “Golden Hour” plays a vital role in the final outcome. Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals started its Air Ambulance in 1998 and for the last 16 years has been playing this vital role in shifting critically ill patients rapidly and efficiently within the country and outside on Air Ambulance as well as on National and International commercial flights. The air evacuation service extends to big cities as well as small and medium cities, including those in far-flung places. Evacuation operations have been carried out at international locations also. Our team has escorted patients to several European Countries like US, Tanzania, Nepal, Thailand, Bangladesh and Oman when families have wanted patients to be safely transported to their parent country. Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi has already carried out more than 1000 medical evacuations from different parts of the country. And more than 100 international medical escorts during this span of time. Our air ambulance aircraft it is fitted with modern day equipments such as

·         Ventilator
·         Cardiac monitor
·         Defibrillator
·         Infusion pump
·         Spine board
·         Complete ICU backup
·         Emergency medications
·         Oxygen on board

Indraprastha Apollo Air Ambulance (24*7) Contact Number: +919958290198, 1066, +919810221571 01126825555, 01129872004

Emergency & Trauma Centre - Facilities

Ten bedded Emergency Room which includes:

·         4 Trauma Beds

·         2 Observation Beds

·         2 Holding Areas

·         1 Heart Command

·         1 Barrier Nursing

Apollo Emergency has bedside monitors, ventilators, syringe pumps, infusion pumps, OT lights and all life saving medicines and equipments needed for resuscitations.

Our Emergency Physician (24X7) have the skills of many specialists - the ability to resuscitate a patient (Critical Care Medicine), manage a difficult airway(Anesthesia), suture a complex laceration (Plastic Surgery), reduce (set) a fractured bone or dislocated joint (Orthopedic surgery) treat a heart attack(Cardiology), work-up a pregnant patient with vaginal bleeding (Obstetrics and Gynecology), stop a bad nosebleed (ENT), place a chest tube (Cardiothoracic Surgery), and to conduct and interpret ultrasounds (Radiology) and others. Apollo Emergency Nursing (24x7) care for patients in the emergency or critical phase of their illness or injury. While this is common to many nursing specialties, the key difference is that an emergency nurse is skilled at dealing with people in the phase when a diagnosis has not yet been made and the cause of the problem is not known.

Emergency & Trauma Centre - Treatment & Services

When you arrive at the Emergency Department, your first stop is Triage. This is the place where each patient's condition is prioritized, typically by a nurse or doctor, into three general categories. The categories are:

·         Immediately life threatening

·         Urgent, but not immediately life threatening

·         Less urgent

This categorization is necessary so that someone with a life-threatening condition is not kept waiting because they arrive a few minutes later than someone with a more routine problem. Apollo ER receives all patients i.e. Stroke, Heart attack, Polytrauma, Seizures, Poisoning, Gastroenteritis, Febrile illness, Foreign body ingestion and many others. Depending on a patient's specific medical condition, physicians will admit the patient to the hospital, discharge the patient, or transfer the patient to a more appropriate medical facility.

Road Ambulance Services - Local, Ncr & Outstation

State-of-Art Cardiac Ambulances (Mobile ICU) equipped with life saving equipment and manned by experienced and qualified medical and para-medical personnel are stationed at the hospital in a continuous state of alertness to ensure patients arrive at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals quickly and safely. The 1066 Emergency Helpline and the direct Apollo Hospitals ER / Triage Helpline (+91 - 11 - 2692 5888) receive all calls and strive to provide a response time that is among the best in the world.

Air Ambulance – National & International

Saving time is the first step in saving lives. Air Ambulance Services are used when ground transport could endanger a patient's life. They are also indispensable when the patient is in a remote area and time is critical. Apollo is equipping each of its Hospitals with emergency air ambulance services. Both fixed wing aircrafts and helicopters provide the services. Aviation companies take care of the aviation logistics. Medical aspects like trained personnel, equipment and care are provided by the 1066 emergency services.

Apollo's Air Ambulance services conquer time and distance in emergencies. And saves lives. 24-Hour Trauma Response, and represents a wide range of experienced and qualified surgeons and all major sub-specialties including:

·         Trauma and Burns Surgery

·         General Surgery

·         Neuro-surgery

·         Orthopedic Surgery

·         Emergency Medicine

·         Cardiothoracic Surgery

·         Obstetrics and Gynecology

·         Anesthesiology

·         Intensive Care

·         Radiology

·         Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery including Reimplantation

·         Hand and Microsurgery

·         Maxillofacial Surgery

·         Pediatric Surgery

·         Ophthalmology

·         Oncological Surgery

·         Vascular Surgery

·         Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

·         Gastrointestinal Surgery

Trauma Care areas and support units are always available for trauma patients.

·         Emergency Department

·         Surgery Suites (including a Trauma OT)

·         Critical Care Unit

·         Blood Bank

·         Lab services (NABL accredited)

·         24-hour multi-slice CT scan, 3T MRI and Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)

·         Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

·         Rehabilitation Center

Emergency & Trauma Centre - Overview

It is the ‘Golden Hour’ and the ‘Platinum Ten Minutes’ that typify the significance of Emergency Medical Services. It is a well-accepted fact that a patient who receives basic care from trained professionals and is transported to the nearest healthcare facility within 15-20 minutes of an emergency has the greatest chance of survival. Hence, we at Apollo Hospitals leave no stone unturned in providing the best services in the shortest time possible by trained and experienced medical staff. The Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals Emergency Room has the reputation for immediate response with our trauma patients being of the highest priority. All laboratory and imaging test results are available without delay leading to quick diagnosis and rapid treatment.

Apollo Hospitals Emergency Department provides a systematic approach to treating trauma patients with our dedication to a 24-hour state of readiness. The scope of services includes everything from critical care transport and definitive surgical care for trauma victims to comprehensive rehabilitation services.

There is never a need for a patient to wait for surgeons or specialists in order to receive critical care.

Apollo Hospitals Emergency Department is a medical treatment facility specializing in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance.

Due to the unplanned nature of patient attendance, our department provides initial treatment for a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, some of which may be life-threatening and require immediate attention.

In case of trauma emergency or complicated injuries, our internal alert protocol starts preparation in advance, as soon as a trauma call is received. All acute care team members and support units are well trained and are activated and ready on site for the quickest response. Additionally, the Hospital meets the highest international standards for medical, safety and quality as demonstrated by the Joint Commission International Accreditation of Hospitals Gold Seal of approval.