The Department of Nephrology has Board Certified physicians offering diagnosis and treatment for disorders of the kidney and hypertension. This includes the following areas:
- AKI/CKD
- Glomerular Diseases
- Hypertension
- Hemodialysis
- Peritoneal Dialysis
- Interventional Nephrology
- Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Management of Renal Transplant Patients
- Telemedicine
OUTPATIENT DIALYSIS
Our partnership with Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) and Dialysis Clinic, Inc. helps provide leading-edge techniques to make dialysis easier and more efficient -- either in our outpatient clinics or in the comfort of your own home. Treatments are based on the Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (DOQI) guidelines.
Effective hemodialysis requires regular access to your circulatory system. This essential process carries a normal risk of infection or blood vessel damage, but our nephrologists aggressively limit those risks by using the best and latest technologies for every procedure.
TEAM APPROACH
Our nephrologists, vascular surgeons, nephrology interventionists (Nephrologists specializing in minimally-invasive procedures), dialysis nurses, and clinic managers work together to ensure you get the highest quality of personalized care.
SIMPLER, SAFER DIALYSIS
Our vascular surgeons use advanced procedures to access blood vessel for dialysis treatment, typically using your tissue's natural defenses to prevent infection. Our surgeons are experts in identifying the safest locations to create surgical ports to access your blood vessels. Better access to your blood vessels helps make dialysis faster and more efficient.
CONTACT US
Office of Nephrology:
Caitlin Garner
caitlin.garner@lsuhs.org
(318) 675-7402
SEVERAL CONVENIENT LOCATIONS
Our nephrology physicians provide care at several outpatient dialysis centers that serve hundreds of patients with kidney failure and end-stage renal disease in Shreveport, Minden, Mansfield and Homer.
HYPERTENSION
LSU Health Shreveport Nephrology Hypertension Center provides leading-edge diagnosis and treatment for the full spectrum of hypertensive disorders. Over the years we have continued to be a community resource for diagnosis and management of complex hypertension patients utilizing current resources including ambulatory blood pressure monitors, obstructive sleep evaluations, endocrinology work up for rare inherited disorders, and more.
- Complex hypertension
- Adrenal hypertension (from aldosterone and catecholamine excess)
- Renovascular disease
- Genetic disorders associated with elevated blood pressure
- Hypertension associated with chronic kidney disease
- Medication induced hypertension
GLOMERULAR DISEASES
- Lupus Nephritis
- ANCA Vasculitsius
- Membranous Nephropathy
- HIV related GN
- IGA Nephropathy
- Minimal Change Disease
INTERVENTIONAL NEPHROLOGY
The ability to diagnose and treat patients with kidney disease requires a comprehensive approach that necessitates use of the special techniques. We have five American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology certified nephrologists who provide the following services:
• Thrombolysis and angioplasty for clotted arterio-venous grafts and fistulas
• Angiograms of dysfunctional arterio-venous grafts and fistulas with angioplasty if needed
• Maturation of arterio-venous fistulas with angioplasty
• Coiling of accessory veins
• Placement of stents for central vein and arterio-venous graft stenosis
• Placement of tunneled/non-tunneled central venous hemodialysis catheters
• Placement of minimally invasive fluoroscopic peritoneal dialysis catheters
• Placement of subcutaneous port catheters
URINALYSIS
Urinalysis is a valuable tool to diagnose kidney problems. For centuries, humans have been intrigued by urinary findings. Simple bedside microscopic urinalysis can help rule in or rule out a diagnosis often better than renal ultrasound or other far expensive laboratory testing. At LSU Health Shreveport, fellows are encouraged to spin urine for all AKI patients with focused evaluation of crystals, casts, cells, and sediment.