Nephrology Department (Hemodialysis Unit)

1. Basic Information: The Department of Nephrology is a specialized discipline integrating medical care, teaching, and research, dedicated to the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases. In 2005, it was founded by Dr. Kong Weixin of Fudan University, who introduced into the Department of Nephrology of Suzhou Kowloon Hospital the advanced concepts and technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases from large tertiary Grade A hospitals. Under the leadership of Director Kong Weixin, the Department of Nephrology got off to a high-level start and developed rapidly; its scale continued to expand, and in 2023 it was awarded the honorary title of a Key Specialty of Suzhou City. 2. Bed Capacity: The department currently has 17 beds for patients with kidney diseases and 60 blood purification beds. 3. Personnel Team: The medical and nursing staff total 56 people, including 13 physicians: 2 appointed chief physicians, 4 deputy chief physicians, 5 attending physicians, and 3 resident physicians. The proportion of personnel with senior, intermediate, and junior professional technical titles is 5:5:4; 100% of the physicians have an undergraduate degree or higher, and 75% have a master's degree or higher. The nursing staff total 41 people; 100% of the nurses have junior-college education or higher, including 29 blood purification nurses and 15 ward nurses. The physician-to-nurse ratio is 1:2.9, and the bed-to-nurse ratio in general wards is 1:0.7. 4. Department Configuration: The Blood Purification Center is equipped with 44 imported hemodialysis machines, 22 hemodiafiltration machines, and 2 bedside blood purification machines, and has 1 full-time engineer. The department also has 1 full-time clinical pharmacist. 5. Clinical Features: • Vascular Access Technology: It is at an advanced level in Suzhou. A multidisciplinary vascular access management group has been established jointly with the Interventional Department, Ultrasound Department, and other disciplines to overcome difficult vascular access problems. • Chronic Kidney Disease Management: A standardized diagnosis and treatment system has been established; on average, more than 2,000 inpatient encounters are handled each year, and more than 100,000 hemodialysis treatments are performed. • Specialized Diagnostic and Treatment Services: Core technologies include percutaneous renal biopsy, artificial vascular graft transplantation, double plasma exchange (including lipid separation/artificial liver), and other procedures. • Full-Course Service System: A peritoneal dialysis follow-up center has been established, providing care throughout the entire cycle from surgery to home management. 6. Research and Teaching: Over the past 3 years, 4 projects of the Suzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau have been completed, 4 such projects are ongoing, and there are 3 other projects; the department has 9 invention patents and has published more than 20 papers, including 2 SCI articles and 5 articles in statistical-source journals.