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Defined by Excellence: Pediatric Nephrology
The dictionary defines "nephrology" as the study of the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the kidney. It defines "urology" as the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the anatomy and physiology, disorders and care of the urinary tract. However, at Riley Hospital for Children, pediatric urology and nephrology are defined by leadership, clinical excellence and expertise in patient care, education and research. Both are regarded as preeminent departments and among the top five in the state. The staff of the nephrology department considers itself unique, making up the only children's kidney program in the state. "We see a lot of patients from the region, and coupled with our dialysis unit — which is easily one of the best anywhere — we receive patients from all across the country," stated Dr. Jerry Bergstein, director of pediatric nephrology at Riley Hospital for Children. The department logs approximately 1,500 outpatient visits and over 250 inpatient admissions a year. Dr. Bergstein, who has been at Riley for 24 years, continued, "At Riley, we treat every type of kidney problem and disorder — from blood in the urine to abnormally developed kidneys, functional abnormalities to chronic kidney failure and congenital defects. Service and success rates have risen dramatically from 25 years ago." "A majority of our success can be attributed to the staff here," added Bergstein. "Everyone in the department works as a team. Our doctors, nurses, dialysis team and the surgical teams bring specified expertise to the table, which allows us to deliver the best service. We also have a great partnership with primary care physicians, which allows us to reduce complications and improve general care." Riley's Pediatric Dialysis Department is the only dialysis unit in Indiana designed for children, treating patients from all over the country. Unfortunately, treatments and dialysis are not always 100 percent effective, and kidney transplants are needed. "When this happens, the child will receive a new kidney, and Riley is fortunate to have the services of one of the best organ transplantation programs in the state. The kidney transplant program has performed more kidney transplants than any other facility in the state," said Dr. Bergstein. The Riley Pediatric Urology Department has achieved international recognition for its contributions. Together, the only four fellowship trained pediatric urologists in the state have published over 300 original articles or chapters in journals and textbooks, and have established one of the premier training programs for pediatric urology in North America. Dr. Richard Rink, director of the Pediatric Urology Department stated, "There are 14 accredited fellowship programs in the United States and Canada and Riley is considered to be one of the three best. The Riley staff is one of the most experienced, educated and busiest staffs in the country." The urology team sees over 8,000 outpatients and operates on over 1,600 children a year. By combining their experiences and areas of special interest, the Riley team is committed to providing state-of-the-art technology combined with compassionate and comforting pediatric urologic care. "Our department is unique in that 40 percent of children are treated medically, often times for various urination disturbances and infections," Dr. Rink said. "Riley houses the only pediatric urodynamic center in Indiana for the evaluation of voiding dysfunction." While most hospitals still use invasive procedures, many minimally invasive procedures are common at Riley. This has resulted in shorter hospital stays for inpatients, less need for medication, shorter surgery time and reduced complications. Riley has pioneered several such procedures, including the ability to perform the majority of genital surgeries as outpatient. Dr. Rink added, "The goal for the Riley urology staff is to provide the family with not only a diagnosis but an understanding of their child's problem, and if need be, to surgically correct those problems with the skill and care necessary to obtain excellent results." — By Jon M. Mills [Keywords: nephrology] |
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