Services > Outpatient > Renal Dialysis Unit
Dialysis is a process of filtering waste products out of the blood for patients whose kidneys are no longer doing this work adequately.
- Most patients receive dialysis treatments three times per week.
- The average treatment time is about three hours, although the time varies depending on the size of the patient and other factors.
- Staff who perform the treatments and monitor the patients include RNs, LPNs and Technicians.
- One RN follows each individual patient closely as their "care manager."
- Team of caregivers also includes a social worker and a registered dietitian.
The renal dialysis unit has 12 patient treatment stations. It is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with two shifts of patients, accommodating 24 patients. Additional days can be added if the patient volume increases. This service is contracted through Gundersen Lutheran.
Serving patients in the Gundersen Lutheran system
Patients will need to be under the care of a Gundersen Lutheran nephrologist in order to be admitted to the new dialysis unit for treatments. Patients currently outside the Gundersen Lutheran system may make arrangements to transfer into the system by contacting Amanda Neckar at 1-800-362-9567, ext. 51384. One of the Gundersen Lutheran nephrologists, Dr. Yutuc, will come to the new unit to see patients twice a month. An on-call nephrologist is always available to answer questions related to patients’ dialysis care. Patients should still keep their primary-care physician.
Gundersen Lutheran also provides dialysis treatments to acutely ill patients when they are hospitalized. Nurses administer the treatment at the bedside using portable dialysis equipment. When a dialysis patient needs special procedures or hospitalization related to their dialysis care, this will be done at Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse.
Optional home dialysis treatment
Gundersen Lutheran dialysis services also include the options of home dialysis, either by peritoneal dialysis (PD), using fluid in the abdominal cavity, or by home hemodialysis in which the patient uses a compact dialysis machine to dialyze their blood at home. Information about these options will be made available to interested patients at the new dialysis unit.
Gundersen Lutheran renal dialysis services PDF
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