Medical services:
Out-patient clinics:
Our clinics cover a full range of clinical services in nephrology, such as chronic kidney disease, nephrotic syndrome, glomerulonephritis, urolithiasis, urinary tract infection, and hypertension. Moreover, we offer renal sonographic examinations.
In-patient service:
National Taiwan University Hospital is one of the major referral center in the nation. We provide compassionate, state-of-the-art medical patient cares in all areas of renal disease. In addition to multidisciplinary medical managements, acute dialysis service, continuous renal replacement therapy, transcutaneous songographic-guided renal biopsy, surgery of arteriovenous shunt creation, peritoneal dialysis training, diet educations for chronic kidney disease, and specialized nephrology nursing are available. The clinical activities are carried out in an integrated program including the active participation of a social worker and a renal dietician.
Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis:
Since hemodialysis introduced in 1969, the technology progressed moderately with expanding faculty. There are 1,200 to 1,300 sessions of hemodialysis performed per month. Over 370 patients received peritoneal dialysis ever since 1984. The longest duration of dialysis to a single patient have been over 20 years.
Others:
The division provides clinical consultation in all aspects of renal disease. Areas of emphasis include managements of chronic kidney disease, kidney transplantation, diabetic nephropathy, hypertension, acid-base and electrolytes imbalance, and acute dialysis service. For critical patients with acute renal failure in critical patients or drug overdose/intoxication, hemodialysis, continuous renal replacement therapies, or hemoperfusion are carried out in intensive care units. Besides, we also performed double filtration plasmapheresis and plasma exchange in specific disease entity.
Teaching
Medical students and interns:
All members of the faculty share responsibilities of teaching nephrology, associated medical knowledge, bedside teaching, and clinical practice.
Junior residents:
The division provides basic trainings in nephrology and dialysis, as well as principles of treating all kinds of renal diseases and electrolytes imbalance.
Senior residents and fellow:
The depth and size of our clinical program furnish a strong basis in training nephrology specialty. Examples include institution of dialysis and long term follow up, renal sonography, renal biopsy, practice of continuous renal replacement therapy, peritoneal dialysis, and managements of complicated problems in electrolytes. The fellows in our division are responsible for education to staffs in nursing and case discussion with medical students. We also offer active basic research programs and facilities.
Research
The members in our department not only involve in clinical research of nephrology, but also cooperate with each department of basic medicine for many basic studies. Professor Kwan-Dun Wu is now the director of the nephrology division. He leaded the study group "TAIPAI, Taiwan primary aldosteronism investigators", which devoted to studying the regulation of aldosterone for many years. Professor Tun-Jun Tsai engages in the culture of renal cells and pharmacologic therapies for nephritis. Besides, he also has studied deeply in the prevention of peritoneal fibrosis. Doctor Kuan-Yu Hung studied good in the mechanism and prevention of peritoneal fibrosis. In recent years, he devoted in elevating patient safety and quality of medical service. Now he is also the vice-superintendent of the NTUH. Doctor Tzong-Shinn Chu has studies in the acid-base and electrolyte regulation of renal tubule. Recently, he has concentrated in the genetic transcription and message transfer mechanism between endothelin and renal tubule fibrosis. Doctor Yung-Ming Chen engages much in the treatments and prevention of nephritis. In addition, he also establishes the culture mode of vascular smooth muscle, which benefits much for the research in the future. Besides, he also contributes in the studies of aldosterone adenoma. Doctor Shuei-Liong Lin mainly studied hard in role of pericyte in normal and disease kidney. Dr. Tze-Wah Kao involving in nutrition and improving quality of lift in peritoneal dialysis patients. Now Dr. Kao also studied in congenitial renal diseases (such as polycystic kidney and Fabry disease) and AIDS-renal failure. Dr. Vincent Wu joins the TAIPAI group and studies focus on hyperaldosteronism. Di. Chun-fu Lai's research works focus on the pathogenesis of kidney fibrosis and the mechanism of AKI-CKD transition. Doctor Cheng-Chung Fang has good studies in the response of peritoneal cell to each drug, and he also engages in the prevention of peritoneal fibrosis via the combination of cell culture and animal model. Because he is a doctor of emergent medicine, he also has many studies in drug intoxication and alcoholic abuse. Every Monday afternoon, each attending expresses his study result in the academic meeting, and discuss with the researchers of basic study together. Besides sharing the study results, we also intergrades experience to prompt team cooperation.
Perspectives
The chronic nephritis-induced fibrosis is still the major cause of end-stage renal disease. The members of nephrology has already established several animal models of nephritis, and also have published some results about the medications which have therapeutic or inhibitive effects for fibrosis primarily. By the way, the studies for peritoneal fibrosis also keeps continuously. The studies about aldosterone adenoma has entered the genetic respect in order to find out the genetic mechanism. Besides, we cooperate with other departments of basic medicine for the research about renal tubule and renal hormone for further developments.