Kidney Care & Dialysis

When your kidneys aren’t working as well as they should, rely on UNC Health Nash to direct you to skilled nephrologists in Rocky Mount, North Carolina for advanced treatment. Receive experienced, highly skilled nephrology care for kidney conditions, such as kidney disease, infection, and pain.

When Should I See a Nephrologist?

Talk to your primary care physician about checking your kidneys if you think they aren’t working properly. Seek a referral to a nephrologist for testing if you have symptoms of kidney disease such as:

• Blood in your urine
• Changes in how much you urinate
• Cramping muscles
• Decreased appetite
• Difficulty sleeping
• Itchy skin
• Mental fatigue or confusion
• Swollen feet and ankles

Kidney Conditions We Treat

Find treatment for a wide range of kidney related conditions we treat in collaboration with community providers, including:

• Acute kidney injury – Sudden instance of kidney failure or kidney damage that occurs due to a build-up of waste in your blood
• Electrolyte disorders (metabolic conditions) – Too high or too low levels of various electrolytes in your body
  • Acidosis – High pH levels (acid) in your body
  • Hypercalcemia – High levels of calcium in your body
  • Hyperkalemia – High levels of potassium in your body
  • Hyponatremia – Low levels of sodium in your body
  • Hypernatremia – High levels of sodium in your body
• End stage renal disease – Advanced state of chronic kidney disease where your kidneys are unable to work inside your body, requiring inpatient treatment for dialysis or kidney transplant
• Hypertension – High blood pressure causing arteries around your kidneys to narrow, weaken, or harden
• Severe sepsis – Dangerously low blood pressure to your kidneys and other organs, caused by your body incorrectly reacting to infection

Our Kidney Care Team

Receive comprehensive care from a knowledgeable, experienced team of board-certified nephrologists, nurses, and coordinators on staff at UNC Nash. If you need hospital care, we’ll provide you with excellent care in a comfortable environment. Our goal is to provide superior care and get you home as soon as possible.

Kidney-Related Services

Count on the trained kidney care team at UNC Nash, under the supervision of trained nephrologists, to provide advanced kidney treatments, such as:

• Emergency dialysis for drug overdoses – Removes drugs from your system before they cause extreme damage to your kidneys and other organs
• Fluid management – Helps maintain hydration if you’re severely dehydrated or you have a loss of total body sodium (volume depletion)

What is Kidney Dialysis?

Healthy kidneys clean your blood and create hormones to keep your bones strong and your blood healthy. When your kidneys fail, dialysis treatments do the work that your kidneys used to do. Dialysis makes you feel better and live longer because it helps:

• Keep your blood pressure at normal levels
• Maintain a healthy amount of chemicals in your blood, like potassium or sodium
• Remove waste, salt, and fluid buildup in your body

Types of Kidney Dialysis

Rely on your nephrologist to recommend the type of dialysis that will work best for your condition. Find the dialysis services you need including:

• Hemodialysis – Pumps blood out of your body to a machine that acts as an artificial kidney (dialyzer) with a cleansing fluid (dialysate) and special filter
• Hemodiafiltration – Pumps your blood into a dialyzer that cleans your blood like a hemodialysis but uses more filters and fluids (convection) to remove larger toxins
• Peritoneal dialysis – Uses the inside lining of your abdomen (belly) to filter your blood and washes waste out of your body with a cleansing fluid (dialysate)