Care of the Renal Patient in Radiology

The incidence and prevalence of both renal disease and subsequent end-stage renal failure have increased dramatically in the past several years. It is estimated that 11.5% of adults (23 million) were diagnosed with chronic kidney disease as of 2004. Statistics indicate that in 2007 there were 527,284 people undergoing renal replacement therapy in the United States, with 111,000 of them starting therapy that year. It is estimated that this number could as much as double by 2020. The implications of this are that more patients than ever coming to the radiology department will be suffering from renal disease. Caring for these patients is a continuum of care. The purpose of this article is to prepare nurses to care for these patients in both the early and late stages of renal disease and most importantly, to treat them without negatively impacting their renal disease.