Sir Ganga Ram Hospital's Institute of Renal Sciences launches scheme for providing kidney care services at home


Devdiscourse News Desk | New Delhi | Updated: 13-03-2019 23:16 IST | Created: 13-03-2019 22:23 IST
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital's Institute of Renal Sciences launches scheme for providing kidney care services at home
  • Country:
  • India

Ahead of World Kidney Day, a leading hospital in Delhi has launched a programme under which renal health services will be provided to patients at home, officials said Wednesday. Under the 'Kidney Care at Home' programme, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital's Institute of Renal Sciences, will provide various domiciliary services, such as, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, continuous holter monitoring, care of catheter, dressing, wound care, sampling and home haemodialysis services, a spokesperson of the hospital said.

A holter monitor is a battery-operated portable device that measures and records heart activity (ECG) continuously for 24 to 48 hours or longer depending on the type of monitoring used. World Kidney Day, marked on March 14, is a global awareness campaign, focusing on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems.

"There will be dedicated staff to look after home peritoneal dialysis -- continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and automated peritoneal dialysis (CAPD and APD), and this APD machine will have software for monitoring therapy by a nephrologist," the hospital said in a statement. Dr D S Rana, Chairperson (Department of Nephrology) and Chairman (Board of Management), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, "Chronic kidney disease runs in families especially in patients with diabetes, hypertension and various other diseases."

"We will have a package under which a patient's family will be screened so that kidney disease can be detected at early stage. Many lives can be saved by screening of families," he said. Another service launched on the occasion is addition of apheresis unit in the department of nephrology.

Apheresis is a medical technology in which the blood of a person is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to circulation. "This will have dedicated apharesis machines and will cater to various patients of ABO incompatible kidney transplant. Highly sensitised recipients with antibodies, patients of myasthenia gravis, LGB syndrome and vasculities," the statement said.

Patients from various parts of country are referred for plasmapheresis and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is the largest centre for ABO incompatible kidney transplant in the country, it said. With dedicated apharesis unit, the procedure can be conducted in a clean and hygienic environment in the hospital.

Dr A K Bhalla, co-chairperson and director-dialysis unit (department of nephrology) at the hospital, said, "We are among the pioneers to start ABO compatible organ transplants. Apart from many other diseases, dedicated apherisis will further boost the family of ABO compatible transplants." 

(With inputs from agencies.)

Give Feedback