Kidney Care (Nephrology)

Inpatient and Outpatient Services for Kidney Care

Catholic Health board-certified nephrologists are among Long Island’s leading kidney experts. We specialize in treating conditions ranging from kidney stones to acute kidney or renal failure. Our facilities include both inpatient and outpatient services for our patients with renal or electrolyte disorders.

Our team of specialists include nutritionists and social workers who will help you learn how to manage your kidney condition. By carefully following your treatment plan, you may be able to slow the progression of your disorder. Our goal is to help you live a productive and healthy life.

Catholic Health's Dialysis Unit at Catherine of Siena Hospital (Smithtown, NY) is unique to the area. The unit, located within the hospital, gives patients convenient access to a multidisciplinary team of experts and immediate emergency care if necessary.

St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® (Roslyn, NY), Good Samaritan University Hospital (West Islip, NY), St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, and St. Joseph Hospital (Bethpage, NY) are rated by U.S. News & World Report as high performing in kidney failure.

Conditions We Treat & Services We Offer

Catholic Health nephrologists play an important role in designing individual treatment plans for your diagnosed condition. They work closely with nurse practitioners, registered nurses, physician assistants, social workers and support staff for comprehensive care.

Conditions

Catholic Health treats a full range of kidney conditions, including:

Acute renal failure
Chronic kidney disease
- Anemia of chronic kidney disease
- Renal osteodystrophy
End-stage kidney disease
Fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base disorders
Hematuria—blood in the urine
Hypertension—including resistant hypertension
Kidney disease in pregnancy
Nephrolithiasis—kidney stones
Post kidney transplant management
Proteinuria—a protein in the urine
Secondary hyperparathyroidism—parathyroid glands become enlarged
Vitamin D deficiency

Services

Inpatient and outpatient dialysis treatment
- Acute in-hospital dialysis
- Chronic dialysis
- Hemodialysis
- Peritoneal dialysis
24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
Erythropoietin and intravenous iron therapy for anemia of chronic kidney disease
Impedance cardiography—measures body fluid volumes
Kidney ultrasound

Dialysis

When kidneys fail, it causes a life-threatening condition and choices have to be made about which dialysis treatment is right for you. Options include:

Hemodialysis—uses a machine that acts like a kidney to filter toxins, extra fluid and waste products from your blood.

Peritoneal dialysis—uses the thin layer of tissue around the abdomen’s internal organs. This layer of tissue is called the peritoneal membrane and it acts as a dialysis filter.

Robotic Surgery for Kidney Tumors

At Catholic Health, we use the Da Vinci Xi Surgical System—an intuitive and innovative approach to minimally invasive surgery—to remove a kidney tumor. This minimally invasive procedure preserves renal function.

Additional benefits of robotic surgery for kidney issues include:

Decreased blood loss
Fewer complications
Improved pain control
Less recovery time
Shorter hospital stay
Small, laparoscopic incision versus large open incision

St. Catherine of Siena Hospital Dialysis Unit

The St. Catherine of Siena Hospital Dialysis Unit (Smithtown, NY) treats patients who need hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. We also have an isolation room for hepatitis positive B antigen patients—the only unit of its kind in Suffolk County. We are affiliated with nine major transplant centers for kidney, pancreas, liver and heart.

Kidney failure does not stop our patients from getting the most out of life. If patients wish to travel, we can make arrangements in any part of the world to receive dialysis.

Contact the dialysis unit staff at 631-862-3707 for more information.

Hemodialysis Patients

Treatments are offered three times a week at the unit. You are connected to the hemodialysis machine for approximately three to five hours each visit. While you are getting hemodialysis, you can read, watch television, work on your laptop or play cards.

Peritoneal Dialysis

If your nephrologist recommends you use peritoneal dialysis, or you choose this treatment yourself, we offer training for a week to ten days in the dialysis unit to help you use the treatment at home every day. You remain in contact with our registered nurses who are here to help.

Support Groups

The unit offer support groups, educational lectures and group counseling for you and your loved ones. Our compassionate team of nephrologists, physicians, dialysis technicians, nurses, social workers and dietitians are here to listen and offer support.