Inpatient dialysis offered
Aroostook County residents who are in need of dialysis and need to be hospitalized can have their needs met here in the County.
Inpatient dialysis is now being offered at The Aroostook Medical Center’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital for both routine treatment of current dialysis patients and those requiring occasional treatment.
“Previously, County residents who rely on dialysis treatment had to head south to Bangor or Portland if they needed hospital care,” said Dr. Sujan Pathak, TAMC’s nephrologist. “Now, they can receive their care and treatments in Presque Isle, where they are closer to their loved ones.”
Dialysis is a life-sustaining procedure that removes waste products from the blood when the kidneys have stopped working. Dialysis treatments, which last several hours, remove toxins from the body and are typically done three times a week. Patients requiring dialysis need special care and medicine in order to keep their bodies healthy.
Dialysis treatments are offered regularly in TAMC’s outpatient setting, County Dialysis Center. Patients have regularly scheduled appointments to come in and receive their treatments, generally three times per week.
“The inpatient dialysis device is similar to the large one at County Dialysis, it is simply smaller and portable,” said Margo Cerrato, RN, County Dialysis Center manager. “This makes it possible for us to move it from room to room and attend to our patients at their bedside.”
“This dialysis device requires the same special training that those at County Dialysis Center do, so we are equipped and ready to utilize this technology,” said Cerrato. “Our nurses [from County Dialysis Center] have been trained in dialysis care and are on call 24-7 to provide inpatient dialysis care. These nurses work closely with the attending physicians, Critical Care Unit (CCU) nurses, and Dr. Pathak. The CCU nursing staff have had special training regarding patients requiring dialysis so that they can meet the patients’ unique needs.”
With the increase in kidney disease rates, last year TAMC decided to open a full-time nephrology office. Dr. Pathak now provides nephrology consultations for more than 300 patients. TAMC provides outpatient dialysis to nearly 60 of those 300 patients.
“Now we can take care of inpatients right here at A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital instead of sending them south. It is so important to be close to loved ones when you don’t feel well,” said Pathak. “Inpatient dialysis is something our county needs and we feel that we are best equipped to meet that need. It will provide our communities with the care they need, the moment they need it.”
Five employees at TAMC’s County Dialysis Center recently became certified clinical hemodialysis technicians. This certification, awarded by the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission, ensures that dialysis technicians are experts in the field and that they have the skills needed to provide a high level of patient care. To become certified, technicians must complete a training program that includes classroom instruction and pass a lengthy written examination. Pictured, from left: Ronnette Griffin, Kristina McEwen, Laverne Bubar, Toni Feltis and Lorena Sullivan.
