Research
Geriatric Nephrology and Renal Palliative Care
The study of various aspects of aging and geriatric syndromes in the renal population is part of the developing field of geriatric nephrology which brings a geriatric perspective into the care of the elderly renal population with their high degree of frailty, complex pharmacology, cognitive and functional impairment, depression, and large symptom burden. Additionally, dialysis issues in the chronic outpatient and acute care settings have become more intricate from both a medical management and a bioethical standpoint. Utilizing palliative care concepts in order to optimize functionality, symptom control, and shared decision-making will allow patients and their families to better cope with the chronic progressive nature of CKD and help them navigate through end-of-life decisions. Integrating geriatrics and palliative medicine principals into the practice of nephrology will improve the management of these challenging patients. Establishing geriatric CKD data bases and studying the biology of chronic renal disease in the context of aging will help elucidate mechanisms of progression and allow earlier identification of patients at risk who need intervention. The creation of a geriatric nephrology referral service at Mount Sinai will begin to address these issues.
Geriatric Nephrology and Renal Palliative Care Research Program
Publications
Donovick PJ, Burright RG, Swidler MA. Presurgical rearing environment alters exploration, fluid consumption, and learning of septal lesioned and control rats. Physiol Behav 1973 Oct; 11(4): 543-53.
Bonventre JV, Swidler MA. Calcium dependency of prostaglandin E2 production in rat glomerular mesangial cells. Evidence that protein kinase C modulates the Ca2+-dependent activation of phospholipase A2. J Clin Invest 1988 Jul; 82(1): 168-76.
