OT Docs - Question about Sepsis and Dialysis

My friend used to have to do dialysis every other day. I always felt bad for him. He had tubes in is torso, then had some implant in his bicep area that they used. Two years ago he got a new Kidney and hasn't had to do dialysis anymore. Renal failure is not a joke.

A lot of times the kidneys bounce back.

Typically Renal failure due to sepsis is due to ATN (basically low BP and your body vasoconstricts/or they start you on vasopressors to adequately perfuse your lungs and heart, and the less vital organs don't get the blood flow they need. Usually worse if the patient was taking and ace inhibitor or ARB.

Is the person still peeing some, or not? BP okay? Not on any nephrotoxic antibiotics?

Renal Associates- Dr. Corona or O'Neal. Actually the whole group is fine.

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Still peeing and BP is okay. On antibiotics, but I'm not sure which kind.

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That's very good to hear. My prayers are with you. I lost my grandmother last week to the same scenario you described. Stay positive!!

Certainly rhabdo can cause renal failure, but to declare that it's the most likely cause in this case is incorrect, in my opinion (and the literature's opinion).

I wish I knew more about this. I had nephrotic syndrome from 6 months until I went into remission at 3yrs old. I was on prednisone. One of my earliest memories (2-3) was going septic and laying on the bathroom floor. I couldn't call for my parents, who were downstairs, and when my aunt got in from her job late that night, she found me and I was rushed to Tulane. Then, it just went away. I have scarring on either hipbone from the wastes leaking out of my kidneys and into my system. The human body is crazy. Best of luck to you and yours!

I hate that you said the Dr. was vague. I know they don't want to provide misinformation, but it is so frustrating going off the bits they have given you, and swimming through all of this technical stuff that makes no sense on the internet.

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it looks like there are 2 types of dialysis? I'm confused.

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There are different ways to do it and different things you can do with it. In any instance, think of it as bypassing a broken kidney and using a machine kidney instead.

Whether the kidney comes back is complicated. With the information you've given, it's hard to say which side of the fence this person falls on. Even still, percentages don't exactly apply to individuals on their path to recovery or demise. He is peeing (Point for recovery), otherwise healthy (I'll believe you here), young (point), but the drugs/antibiotics he's currently on, the type of infection he has, and the severity of his disease aren't known to us.

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an the kidneys start functioning on their own again?

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They sure can. As said by many others, they also could not.

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Does dialysis help them to function on their own again?

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It's hard to explain this without getting technical. If he's getting dialysis, it means he would have a significant risk for dying/severe problems without it. Dialysis is kidney bypass, giving them a break to heal. So, in a sense that you're buying them time so that he doesn't die and they can have a chance to heal without the buildup of the toxic substances that the kidney usually excretes (though most of them even in high volume aren't directly toxic to the kidney), yes. Dialysis helps the kidneys recover. Dialysis itself doesn't do anything directly to the kidney, though.

I was hoping that you would respond to this thread, tbh.

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So, in a sense that you're buying them time so that he doesn't die

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This sounds very scary.