Loretto launches peritoneal dialysis treatment

Loretto is now offering peritoneal dialysis, a daily treatment for kidney failure that filters patients’ blood inside their own body.

Unlike the more common “hemodialysis” which removes blood from the body in order to filter it and is typically performed at a hospital or dedicated dialysis center three days a week this peritoneal dialysis is less invasive, can be performed during the day or while the patient sleeps, requires fewer diet restrictions, allows for greater flexibility and improved rehabilitation.

Loretto is the only healthcare system to offer peritoneal dialysis in a 73-mile radius. Binghamton is the next closest location to offer this service.

“Our rehabilitation residents can now receive peritoneal dialysis in a more homelike environment, which gets patients out of the hospital and rehab faster, and will help lower hospital readmissions,” said Meredith Boss, director of nursing at Loretto. “We have seen a high demand for this service in Central New York, and we already receiving calls from people in the Oswego and Watertown areas, too.”

“Having the ability to deliver peritoneal dialysis at Loretto enables patients to continue on their existing peritoneal dialysis regimen, while starting the rehabilitation they need,” said physician Salil Gupta, president of Nephrology Hypertension Associates of CNY, P.C. “This alleviates the need for another procedure (hemodialysis) and transporting the patient to an outside facility which means their stay at rehab is much more conducive to their healthcare.”