Dr. Tony Gulati

Richard Gaede and his wife, Joanne, of Fort Myers, carefully took their time the other day to hook up the tubes so Mr. Gaede could receive kidney dialysis. If he and his wife did everything right, following training by experts over the past few weeks, they would be able to take home a dialysis machine, paid for by Medicare, and do the dialysis at home and not have to drive to the Center several times a week.

They passed the test and Gaede is the first in Lee County to do in-home “hemodialysis.” In-home Hemodialysis is becoming more widely known, but is still so new to the market, that less than 1 percent of all dialysis patients are receiving this new technique.

“We’re really proud that Richard and his wife are able to do this procedure in their home now. They have been trained for the last several weeks at our new Lehigh Kidney Center,” said Dr. Tony Gulati.

The new Lehigh Kidney Center, located at 3227 Lee Blvd. in Lehigh Acres.

It is conveniently located at the intersection of Sunshine Blvd. Now, thanks to a collaboration with American Renal Associates (ARA) and Nx Stage, Lee Kidney Center is able to bring dialysis home to patients.

Will take dialysis unit home: Richard Gaede and wife, Joanne, prepare for Richard's dialysis prior to taking a new machine to home where they can perform dialysis. He is the first in Lee County to be able to take the portable dialysis unit home for use.

Gulati said the site for the Center was selected because it is easy to find and will serve patients from all over Lee County. In addition to patients in Lehigh, the Center treats those from Cape Coral and from places like Immokalee and surrounding neighborhoods in South Fort Myers along Daniels Parkway and to the beach.

Gulati noted that the Center is unlike any other in Lee County.

“We are pleased to announce that we have the equipment, the professional staff to treat patients with chronic kidney disease,” he said. “Our state-of-the-art facility allows for easy accessibility and personalized care.

Two doctors staff the Center, sharing weeks at their other facility on Mathew Drive in Fort Myers. The other physician is Dr. Ganesh Shenoy. In addition, there are qualified nurses and a staff to offer help to all patients.

“The patient gets to know both of us as physicians,” Gulati said. “We both are familiar with each of our patients.”

Dialysis Unit: This is the area of the building with 16 stations where kidney patients come to receive dialysis three times a week

Chronic renal failure, impacts more than 1.7 million patients worldwide, including 485,000 in the U.S. alone. Hemodialysis is the life-preserving treatment for these patients suffering from kidney failure. In past, these patients have had no choice but to drive to a treatment center three times each week and sit in a chair for three to four hours while their blood is cleaned. Now, thanks to a collaboration with American Renal Associates (ARA) and Nx Stage, Lee Kidney Center is able to bring dialysis home to patients.

Richard Gaede, 76, began his in-home dialysis this week with his wife’s help. Gulati said the training for in-home hemodialysis empowers their patients with firsthand knowledge of the treatment. He noted that they can set their own schedules at home and could choose to dialyze five to seven days a week rather than three which he said means more waste is removed from the blood.

“The unit like Mr. Gaede is taking home is very portable, nothing like the very large dialysis machines many of us remember from years ago.

With this unit, he and his wife are not limited to stay home instead of taking trips or vacations.

“They can take this machine with them and he can do self-dialysis in a hotel room or anywhere,” Gulati said.

New Lehigh Kidney Center: This is the new facility located in Lehigh on the corner of Sunshine and lee boulevards.

“This is the first time that in-home hemodialysis is being offered in Lee County and it is our practice that is moving forward with this new concept,” said, adding that this new home technique is only available at :Lehigh Kidney Center.

Before he left the Center, Gaede and his wife said they felt confident that they would be able to do in-home dialysis because of the excellent training they received.

The new Center is open Monday to Thursday for dialysis units that are also inside the new facility.

The large room where patients receive dialysis is attractive and bright and contains 16 chairs that are divided by short partitions for privacy.

“The colors in here are not like in an institution,” Gulati noted. “They are warm colors, like what our patients have in their homes.”

Water Purification Room: High tech equipment is used in this room to purify the water used in the dialysis process. All photos by Mel Toadvine

To make patients more comfortable, each of the chairs have a massage chair that vibrates for the back and also releases heat. They also have a high definition TV set that they can swing out in front of them and look at anything they want.

“It’s all done for their comfort while they receive dialysis for around three hours.”

Gulati says he lives 10 minutes from the Center and when not on the site, he can be there in little time. He and his partner physician also offer renal care in the other part of the building, which is readily available to the dialysis unit.

He said plans now are for eventually opening on Saturdays, but the details are being worked out and an announcement will follow.

He explained that dialysis has come a long way since he 1960s when patients with renal failure sat along sides of large machines while their blood was being removed and cleaned and replaced to the body.

“Today, patients who go into renal failure go on a list for a transplant. But those kidneys do not always long and there has to be follow up with dialysis.

He said patients over 70 are not eligible for transplants.

He said the new Lehigh Kidney Center accepts all insurances and Medicare and Medicaid.

“We’ll do everything to help them with the financing through their insurance plans,” Gulati said.

The facility in Lehigh is filled with additional equipment to purify water that is used in the process of dialysis.

“We test the water from the home of our patients who may now want to self-dialyze and and make the necessary additions or deletions from the water that will use used in the cleansing process.

Generally, Gulati said patients are referred by a family physician or specialist when renal problems get to a certain point.

“We are here to explain the disease affects more than 1.7 million patients worldwide, including 485,000 in the U.S. alone,” Gulati said.

Those employed by the Lehigh Kidney Center and the Center on Mathew Drive are: Debbie Lance, Cathy Gruber, Abbey Gnatkowski, Gary Cepko, Arie Sanfilippo, Lorna Williams, Andrea Olds, Cathy Barrett, Robbie Pombo, and Joel Aguilera. Included are four RNs and four technicians.

For those interested in more information or to schedule an appointment, call 239-303-2136.

“We are happy to locate in Lehigh. I like the community and its people. It has a charm of its own and the site is so easy to get to from anywhere in the Lee County, Gulati said.