Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Service Delivery - Subspecialist Paediatrics
Paediatrics
Paediatric Nephrology
Our Paediatric Nephrology unit offers a service for the evaluation and treatment of a wide spectrum of congenital, hereditary, metabolic (renal and bone disease), immunological (glomerulonephritis and auto-immune disease), acquired and nephro-urological pathology, as well as acute and chronic renal failure in children, on an in- and outpatient basis.
The unit is one of two tertiary referral centres for the Western Cape, but also serves as a referral centre for Namibia, the Northern and Eastern Cape. Ongoing advice is provided to many private paediatricians and general practitioners within these regions and on occasion to other areas.
Our unit functions in collaboration with the following divisions: Chemical pathology, Microbiology including Immunology, Haematology, Nuclear medicine, Anatomical pathology (Histology), Radiology, Virology, Urology, Paediatric surgery, Paediatric orthopaedics, as well as the Adult renal unit for dialysis and transplantation.
It is the only unit in the Western Cape that offers haemodialysis for the treatment of acute renal failure in infants and children. (Short-term haemodialysis for chronic renal failure is also undertaken). Of historical interest is the fact that our unit has been involved with paediatric haemodialysis since 1967.
Chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (C.A.P.D.), which is the preferred treatment for children with chronic renal failure who qualify for renal transplantation, is also available. (Criteria to qualify for dialysis are, for various reasons, strict.)
Facilities for plasmapheresis and leucopheresis for children requiring this form of treatment are available.
The Unit is accredited by the Health Professions Council of South Africa as a training unit for the Certificate in Paediatric Nephrology.?
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