Phone: (516) 487-8207
A Long Island doctor proposed this week that we may want to increase our use of dialysis to thin the blood in kidney-deficient patients in order to save them from disproportionately high risk of heart disease.
Dialysis is a regular treatment that cleanses the system the way kidneys normally would. Chronic kidney disease is most often caused by diabetes or high blood pressure.
For those without access to a high-demand kidney transplant, dialysis is normally used three times a week, four hours per day, for a total of twelve hours. However, in Japan, France and Australia, sessions are extended at twice the rate to eight hours for a total of 24 hours per week. In Japan and France, patients die at about half the rate American patients die of heart disease or stroke, indicating a negative correlation.
Dr. Steven Fishbane, vice-president of Network Dialysis Services at the North Shore-LIJ health system hypothesizes that dialysis works to make blood less thick by relieving it of toxins. Thicker blood tends to clog blood passageways, causing heart disease. Increasing dialysis should therefore save many patients of this fate. Dr. Fishbane is currently researching his claims.
If we were to increase dialysis use, the procedure is expensive. However, there are cheaper at-home options and about 8% of patients today already dialyze at home.
MORE INFO:
If you would like more information about how medical malpractice and accident cases work in the state of New York, I encourage you to explore my educational website. If you have legal questions, I urge you to pick up the phone and call me at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at lawmed10@yahoo.com to answer your questions. That's what I do every day. I welcome your call.
Read More About More Dialysis Lowers Heart Disease Risk; NEW HYPOTHESIS...
