People looking to manage kidney disorders in public health facilities can access care at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) with the new acquisition of eight dialysis stations in an expansion of its renal capacity.
The new dialysis unit is expected to improve health outcomes for patients who have chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injuries and end-stage renal disease.
The unit has eight dialysis stations capable of a minimum of 22 sessions daily and 660 sessions monthly. This is in addition to the existing six dialysis machines in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of the hospital, a Private-Public Venture).
LASUTH is the first public tertiary hospital to acquire a Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) machine in the state.
The Lagos state government in 2020 estimated that about two million people suffer from chronic kidney diseases.
Some of these residents could explore the expanded options provided by the 24-hour non-stop dialysis machine used to support unstable patients with renal failure.
The unit equally has two dedicated machines for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis patients.
The dialysis machine performs kidney functions including filtering waste products and excess fluid from a patient’s blood when the kidneys are malfunctioning. The most common form of dialysis is haemodialysis and a session takes an average of four hours which is typically carried out three times a week.
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The new dialysis will provide standard haemodialysis care to patients with all spectrums of renal diseases requiring dialysis. The main goal is to ensure a safe procedure with the best possible therapeutic outcome by using the latest technology, convenient scheduling and dedicated staff.
The expansion comes as one of many developments being pushed by Adetokunbo Fabamwo, the chief medical director (CMD).
The CMD hopes that with the private-public venture, patients of LASUTH will receive treatment within the same premises at an affordable rate.
Last year, the hospital successfully performed its first LASER treatment for kidney stones after acquiring a full upper tract endoscopic and LASER facility.
The Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER) treatment saves patients the pain of opening up their upper urinary tract during surgery and is deployed to where the stone is broken and flushed out.
The treatment which takes a huge chunk from patients’ finances when sought outside the country goes for comparatively less than half of what obtains in private hospitals in the country.
Care for kidney stones was scarce in the past.
According to the Nigerian Association of Nephrology, 25 million Nigerians suffer kidney disease.
Kidney damage progresses slowly, and may include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue and weakness, sleep problems, changes in urine output, decreased mental sharpness, muscle twitches and cramps, swelling of the feet and ankle and high blood pressure, the World Health Organisation says.
Some of the factors that may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, smoking, and obesity. Depending on the underlying cause, some types of kidney disease can be treated. Chronic kidney disease has no cure, but in general, treatment consists of measures to help control signs and symptoms, reduce complications and slow the progression of the disease.
