Our dialysis team consists of four full-time registered nurses and three physicians. Our physicians are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and are also certified in pediatric nephrology and have completed added training in pediatric nephrology. Each physician is licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine.

With the assistance of engineering, dialysis nurses travel throughout the hospital and dialyze as needed. A constant source of water, a drain, water filtering tanks, and a dialysis machine are required for dialysis treatment. In the past, our dialysis team has dialyzed in the NICU, and the PICU, as well as patient rooms during extreme circumstances. 

Our patients are seen for an average of four hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Patients on chronic hemodialysis are considered to be in end-stage renal disease and are eligible for programs such as Make-a-Wish. During treatment, patients are cannulated with two needles or a catheter is accessed so that their blood can be filtered, as well as any fluid removed prior to being returned to the body.

The CHKD hemodialysis unit is located on the fifth floor of the hospital and is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. A nurse is also on call 24-hours-a-day for emergency situations.

Conditions We Treat

  • Acute and chronic glomerulonephritis 
  • Acute and chronic renal failure
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Congenital anomalies of the genitourinary tract
  • Cystic kidney disease
  • End-stage renal disease
  • Fluid and electrolyte abnormalities
  • Hematuria
  • Hypertension
  • Nephrotic syndrome 
  • Proteinuria
  • Renal calculi
  • Renal insufficiency
  • Renal tubular acidosis
  • Renal stone disease
  • Vitamin D-resistant rickets  

Services We Offer

We tailor each child's treatment plan according to his or her unique needs. Among the services we may recommend for your child are: 

  • Arteriovenous hemofiltration
  • Peritoneal dialysis
  • Hemodialysis 

Appointment Information

We offer our patients the convenience of office appointments at several locations. Appointment day and hours vary at each location.

You'll need a referral depending on what type of insurance you have. If you have an HMO, you must:

  • Get a referral from your child's primary care physician before you call to make an appointment.
  • Make sure your referral has not expired. Many are good for only 30 days, so check yours before you come to your appointment. If your referral has expired, call your primary care physician and explain your situation. In most cases, your primary care physician will provide a new or extended referral.
  • Bring the referral with you to the appointment. If you do not have a referral, or if the referral you have is expired, your HMO will not pay for your appointment.  

If you have fee-for-service insurance or a PPO, you do not need a physician's referral to make an appointment.

We offer in-depth information about insurance in our billing and insurance section.

To schedule an appointment, please call (757) 668-7244.