If renal function drops below around 10%, a patient’s life is in danger. In many cases, it is possible to replace kidney function with dialysis (‘artificial kidney’) methods, but dialysis treatment cannot heal chronically diseased kidneys.

Dialysis can be performed on an acute and emergency basis at any time and can also take place in the interdisciplinary intensive care ward, where continuous kidney replacement procedures (CVVH / CVVHDF) are also performed, if necessary. The emergency service is guaranteed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In addition to providing emergency dialysis, the dialysis ward also offers long-term treatment for patients who are resident in the city and the surrounding area. The department has 18 dialysis treatment stations, while separate treatment rooms are available for infectious patients (e.g. those with hepatitis B or C, HIV or MRSA). All extracorporeal blood cleansing procedures are established and regular treatments are available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in three shifts (between 7:00am and midnight) and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during a morning shift. Guest dialysis patients are warmly welcome, but due to equipment limitations we request that you make an appointment in advance.

Patients are cared for in line with the latest standards and using cutting-edge technology and the safest equipment.

In addition to standard monitoring during haemodialysis treatment and regular laboratory analyses for quality control, recirculation tests and Doppler shunt examinations can also be performed in cases involving difficult vascular access.

Equipment:

Fresenius 5008, Fresenius Multifiltrate (intensive care ward) and single-station osmosis for intensive dialysis

Range of services:

• A-cute dialysis (intensive care ward)
• Chronic dialysis on an inpatient, semi-inpatient and outpatient basis
• All haemodialysis methods (including online HDF)
• Continuous renal replacement techniques (Citrat CWHD)
• Plasma separation
• Haemoperfusion (a treatment method in cases of acute poisoning)
• SCUF (slow continuous ultrafiltration for isolated volume problems, e.g. decompensated heart failure)
• Regional citrate anticoagulation when there is risk of bleeding
• High-cut-off (HCO) dialysis in cases of light chain nephropathy
• Leukapheresis (cell separation) in cooperation with the Clinic for Haematology
• MRSA, hepatitis B and C dialyses
• Rescue dialysis
• Guest/holiday dialysis
• Dietary counselling (dialysis patients are supported with expert advice from our trained nursing team or our Dietary Advice Department)

In cooperation with the Department of Vascular Surgery and the Radiology Department:

• Creation of arteriovenous fistulas (shunts)
• Revision surgery / thrombectomies on AV fistulas
• Lysis treatment of AV fistulas
• Percutaneous shunt angioplasties
• Implantation of tunnelled atrial catheters
• TPA-lysis in cases of thrombosed tunnel catheters

In cooperation with the Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic Surgery:

• System of peritoneal dialysis

Management team:

Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Rolf Dario Frank
Olaf Gauster
Jules van Opijnen