Dr. Samhitha Reddy
Consultant Proctologist & Laparoscopic Surgeon
MBBS, MS, FMAS, FISCP, DMAS
- 8 Yrs
- ASCRS Member
Urology · Kidney Care
Renal Failure Treatment in Hyderabad: Dialysis & Transplant Care at Lux Hospitals
Renal failure means the kidneys have stopped filtering adequately. It comes in two very different forms, and telling them apart is the first and most important thing done.
Acute kidney injury develops over hours or days and is frequently reversible if the cause is treated quickly. End-stage chronic failure develops over years and is permanent, needing dialysis or a transplant. Our kidney specialists at Lux Hospitals, HITEC CITY manage both, with dialysis available on site.
- On-Site Dialysis
- Emergency AKI Care
- Transplant Workup
What is Renal Failure?
Renal failure is the point at which the kidneys can no longer clear waste products, balance salts and water, or regulate blood pressure adequately. Urea, creatinine, potassium and acid accumulate in the blood, fluid builds up in the tissues and lungs, and without treatment the consequences become life-threatening within days.
Acute kidney injury develops over hours to days, most often from severe dehydration, sepsis, obstruction, or a drug or contrast agent that has injured the kidney. It is frequently reversible: correct the cause promptly and function very often returns, sometimes completely. Dialysis in this setting may be needed only temporarily, as support while the kidney recovers.
End-stage renal disease is the endpoint of chronic kidney disease, where filtration has fallen below about 15 ml/min. This is not reversible. Treatment is renal replacement (haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or transplantation) and of those, a kidney transplant gives by far the best survival and quality of life for suitable candidates.
Causes of Renal Failure
The causes are grouped by where the problem lies: before the kidney, within it, or after it.
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Reduced blood flow to the kidney
Severe dehydration, blood loss, heart failure or sepsis. The commonest cause of acute injury, and often fully reversible once circulation is restored.
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Sepsis
Severe infection causes both low blood pressure and direct inflammatory kidney injury. A leading cause of acute failure in hospital.
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Drug and contrast injury
NSAIDs, certain antibiotics such as aminoglycosides, and iodinated contrast for CT scans. Particularly dangerous where kidney function is already reduced.
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Obstruction
Stones, an enlarged prostate, or a tumour blocking urine outflow. Back-pressure damages the kidney, and relieving it promptly often restores function.
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Diabetes and hypertension
The two commonest causes of chronic failure, accounting for the majority of people reaching dialysis.
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Glomerulonephritis
Inflammation of the filtering units, which can cause acute failure or progress slowly to end-stage disease.
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Polycystic kidney disease
Inherited cystic replacement of kidney tissue, leading to failure typically in the fifth or sixth decade.
Obstruction is the cause worth finding urgently, because relieving it can restore function completely. An ultrasound takes fifteen minutes and is done in every case of unexplained kidney failure for exactly that reason.
Symptoms of Renal Failure
Acute failure announces itself; chronic failure creeps up. The symptoms overlap but the timescale differs completely.
Common symptoms
- Reduced urine output, or none at all
- Swelling of the legs, ankles and around the eyes
- Persistent fatigue and weakness
- Nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite
- Confusion or difficulty concentrating
- Itching all over the body
Emergency symptoms
- Breathlessness at rest or when lying flat
- Chest pain or palpitations: may indicate high potassium
- Seizures or marked drowsiness
- Complete absence of urine for twelve hours or more
- Severe vomiting with inability to keep fluids down
- Rapid swelling with weight gain over days
Breathlessness lying flat, or a sudden stop in urine output, are emergencies. High potassium can cause a fatal cardiac arrhythmia with very little warning, and it is treatable within minutes of arriving at hospital.
How Renal Failure is Diagnosed
The urgent questions are how bad it is, whether it is acute or chronic, and whether there is an obstruction to relieve.
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Blood tests
Creatinine, urea, eGFR, potassium, sodium, bicarbonate and haemoglobin. Potassium is checked first, because dangerously high levels need treatment within minutes.
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Urine tests
Protein, blood, cells and casts. The pattern helps distinguish injury within the kidney from problems before or after it.
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Kidney ultrasound
Performed urgently. It excludes obstruction, which is treatable, and shows whether the kidneys are small and scarred: indicating chronic disease.
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Comparing with old results
Previous creatinine values are the fastest way to tell acute from chronic. A normal result six months ago changes the whole approach.
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ECG and cardiac assessment
High potassium produces characteristic ECG changes. Fluid overload and cardiac strain are assessed at the same time.
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Kidney biopsy
Where glomerulonephritis or another treatable intrinsic disease is suspected and the diagnosis would change management.
Small, scarred kidneys on ultrasound alongside anaemia and abnormal calcium point firmly to chronic disease. Normal-sized kidneys with a recently normal creatinine point to acute injury, and to a real chance of full recovery.
Treatment Options
Acute failure is treated by reversing the cause. Chronic failure is treated by replacing kidney function.
Acute
Treating reversible failure
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Fluid resuscitation
Correcting dehydration and restoring circulation. Where reduced blood flow is the cause, this alone often restores function.
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Treating infection
Prompt antibiotics and source control in sepsis, which is a leading cause of acute injury.
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Relieving obstruction
A urinary catheter, ureteric stent or percutaneous nephrostomy to drain a blocked system. Function frequently recovers quickly once pressure is relieved.
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Stopping nephrotoxic drugs
Withdrawing NSAIDs, ACE inhibitors, contrast agents and offending antibiotics, and adjusting all other doses to kidney function.
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Correcting potassium and acidosis
Urgent treatment of high potassium with insulin-dextrose, calcium and binders, since it can cause fatal arrhythmia.
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Temporary dialysis
Short-term support through a neck line where the kidney needs time to recover, withdrawn once function returns.
Chronic
Renal replacement therapy
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Haemodialysis
Blood filtered externally, typically three four-hour sessions weekly, through an arteriovenous fistula created several months in advance.
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Peritoneal dialysis
Fluid exchanged through an abdominal catheter, done at home each day. Greater independence and better preservation of any remaining kidney function.
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Kidney transplantation
From a living or deceased donor. The best option by a wide margin for suitable candidates, with better survival and far fewer restrictions than dialysis.
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Transplant workup and referral
Cardiac, infection and immunological assessment, tissue typing and donor evaluation, arranged in parallel with starting dialysis.
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Conservative management
Symptom control without dialysis, an appropriate and dignified choice for some frail or very elderly patients.
Dialysis replaces perhaps ten to fifteen per cent of normal kidney function: it keeps you alive and reasonably well, but it is not equivalent to a working kidney. That is why transplantation, where possible, is the goal.
What Treatment Involves
The first hours are about safety. What follows depends entirely on whether the failure is acute or chronic.
Emergency stabilisation followed by definitive management
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Immediate assessment
Bloods including potassium, an ECG, and assessment of fluid status and urine output. Life-threatening abnormalities are treated first.
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Correcting emergencies
High potassium, severe acidosis and pulmonary oedema treated urgently. These are what kill in the first twenty-four hours.
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Urgent ultrasound
To exclude obstruction, which is immediately treatable, and to assess whether the disease looks acute or chronic.
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Treating the cause
Fluids for dehydration, antibiotics for sepsis, drainage for obstruction, and withdrawal of any drug injuring the kidney.
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Dialysis if needed
Started urgently through a temporary neck line where potassium, acid or fluid cannot be controlled medically.
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Monitoring for recovery
In acute injury, daily bloods and urine output tracking. Recovery typically begins within one to three weeks where it is going to occur.
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Long-term planning
Where failure proves permanent, creating a fistula or peritoneal catheter and beginning transplant workup.
A temporary neck line is what allows dialysis to start immediately in an emergency. A fistula is far better for the long term but takes two to three months to mature, which is why it is created in advance whenever the need can be foreseen.
Why Choose Lux Hospitals for Renal Failure Treatment?
Kidney failure needs both emergency capability and long-term continuity. Here is why patients trust us:
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Emergency and dialysis capability
Urgent assessment, catheter insertion and dialysis available on site, so treatment starts without transfer.
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Acute and chronic distinguished properly
Urgent ultrasound and careful review of prior results, because reversible failure must not be mistaken for permanent failure.
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Comprehensive care
From the first consultation through to post-treatment follow-up, with one team throughout.
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Convenient location
Our hospital is in HITEC CITY, near IKEA: easily reachable from across Hyderabad.
Recovery & Long-Term Care
Acute injury often recovers over weeks. Chronic failure is managed for life, with transplantation the goal where suitable.
- Days 1–3
Stabilisation. Potassium, acid and fluid overload corrected; the cause identified and treated.
- Week 1
In acute injury, urine output often begins improving. Dialysis given as support where needed rather than as a permanent commitment.
- Weeks 2–6
Kidney function recovers in most cases of acute injury, sometimes completely. Creatinine is tracked to see how far it returns.
- Months 2–6
Where function has not recovered, dialysis access is created and transplant workup begins in parallel.
- Long term
Regular dialysis with monitoring of haemoglobin, calcium, phosphate and nutrition, alongside progress on the transplant pathway.
Aftercare
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Manage fluid intake carefully
On dialysis, fluid restriction is usually necessary. Weight gain between sessions is the practical measure, and staying within it prevents breathlessness.
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Keep potassium down
Bananas, coconut water, citrus, tomatoes and potatoes are high in potassium, which the failing kidney cannot clear. High potassium can stop the heart.
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Protect the fistula arm
No blood pressure cuffs, blood draws, drips or tight sleeves on that arm. A damaged fistula is difficult to replace.
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Stay vaccinated
Hepatitis B vaccination is essential before starting dialysis, alongside influenza and pneumococcal cover.
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Pursue transplant assessment early
Transplantation gives considerably better survival and quality of life than long-term dialysis. Starting the workup early matters, since it takes time.
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Never miss dialysis sessions
Skipped sessions allow potassium, acid and fluid to accumulate, and are a common cause of emergency admission.
Acute kidney injury caught and treated early frequently recovers fully. That is the single strongest argument for going to hospital promptly when urine output falls rather than waiting to see whether it improves.
When Should You Seek Care?
Go to hospital urgently if any of the following apply.
- Little or no urine passed for twelve hours or more.
- Breathlessness at rest or when lying flat.
- Rapid swelling of the legs, face or abdomen.
- Persistent vomiting with an inability to keep fluids down.
- Confusion, marked drowsiness or seizures.
- A creatinine result that has risen sharply from a previous value.
Cost of Renal Failure Treatment in Hyderabad
Acute care is an admission cost. Chronic failure is an ongoing cost, and that is the more significant consideration for most families.
| Procedure | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Consultation Per visit | ₹800 – ₹1,500 |
| Emergency kidney workup Bloods, urine, ECG, ultrasound | ₹6,000 – ₹15,000 |
| Temporary dialysis catheter Insertion, for urgent dialysis | ₹15,000 – ₹30,000 |
| Haemodialysis session Per session; usually three weekly | ₹2,000 – ₹4,500 |
| AV fistula creation Day care; matures over two to three months | ₹45,000 – ₹85,000 |
| Peritoneal dialysis catheter Insertion; consumables recur monthly | ₹55,000 – ₹95,000 |
| Admission for acute kidney injury Varies greatly with cause and ICU need | ₹60,000 – ₹2,50,000 |
What changes the estimate
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Acute or chronic
Acute injury is a single admission with a real chance of full recovery. Chronic failure is a recurring lifetime cost.
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Which modality
Haemodialysis carries per-session costs and travel three times weekly. Peritoneal dialysis has a higher setup cost and recurring consumables at home.
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Intensive care requirement
Acute failure with sepsis or multi-organ involvement needing ICU is substantially more expensive than a ward admission.
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Room category
A shared ward, a twin-sharing room or a private suite: the largest single swing in most estimates.
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Insurance & TPA cover
We are empanelled with most major insurers, and our team files the pre-authorisation for you.
Every figure above is an indicative range, not a quote. After your consultation you are given a written, fixed-cost estimate, and that is the number you pay, with no additions once treatment begins.
Other Urology Treatments
Our Surgeons
Renal Failure Specialists at Lux Hospitals
The kidney specialists who treat renal failure at our HITEC CITY hospital.
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Dr. Vipin Reddy B
Consultant Urologist & Andrologist
MBBS, MS, DrNB (Urology)
10 years experience
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Dr. Sreeniketh Reddy
Consultant Urologist & Andrologist
MBBS, MS, MCh (Urology)
9 years experience
Testimonials
What Patients Say About Their Treatment
Reviews from patients treated for kidney and urological conditions at Lux Hospitals, Hyderabad.
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Got Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about kidney failure, dialysis, transplantation and costs at Lux Hospitals.
What is the best treatment for renal failure?
It depends entirely on whether the failure is acute or chronic. Acute kidney injury is treated by reversing the cause (fluids, antibiotics, relieving obstruction, stopping harmful drugs) and often recovers fully. End-stage chronic failure needs renal replacement: haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, or a transplant, which gives the best outcome by a clear margin.
Can kidney failure be reversed?
Acute kidney injury frequently can be, if the cause is identified and treated quickly, particularly dehydration, sepsis or obstruction. Chronic kidney failure cannot be reversed, because the damaged filtering units do not regenerate. This is why distinguishing the two urgently is the first thing done.
How is kidney failure diagnosed?
Blood tests for creatinine, urea, eGFR and potassium; urine tests for protein and blood; and an urgent ultrasound to exclude obstruction and assess kidney size. Comparing with any previous creatinine result is the fastest way to tell acute from chronic. A biopsy is added where an intrinsic kidney disease is suspected.
Can dialysis cure kidney failure?
No. Dialysis replaces roughly ten to fifteen per cent of normal kidney function: enough to keep you alive and reasonably well, but not a cure. In acute injury it is temporary support while the kidney recovers. In chronic failure it is lifelong unless a transplant becomes possible.
Which is better, haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis?
Neither is universally better. Haemodialysis means three four-hour hospital sessions weekly with no daily work at home. Peritoneal dialysis is done at home every day, offers more independence and travel flexibility, and preserves remaining kidney function longer, but requires you or a family member to manage it carefully.
Is a kidney transplant better than dialysis?
For suitable candidates, considerably. Transplantation gives better survival, better quality of life, fewer dietary and fluid restrictions and no dialysis schedule. It requires lifelong immunosuppression and careful follow-up, but for most people who are eligible it is the goal rather than one option among equals.
Can diet help manage kidney failure?
Yes, substantially. A low-salt, moderated-protein diet with restricted potassium and phosphate reduces symptoms, prevents dangerous potassium levels and limits fluid overload. On dialysis, fluid restriction matters as much as food. A renal dietitian makes this workable rather than applying blanket prohibitions.
What should I do before a dialysis session?
Take your prescribed medications unless told otherwise, keep to your fluid allowance so weight gain between sessions stays within target, follow the renal diet, and protect your fistula arm. Attend every scheduled session: missed sessions are a common cause of emergency admission.
How much does kidney failure treatment cost in Hyderabad?
Emergency workup is ₹6,000–₹15,000 and an admission for acute kidney injury ₹60,000–₹2,50,000 depending on cause and ICU need. Haemodialysis is ₹2,000–₹4,500 per session, usually three weekly. AV fistula creation is ₹45,000–₹85,000 and a peritoneal dialysis catheter ₹55,000–₹95,000.
How can I book an appointment at Lux Hospitals?
You can book by calling us, messaging us on WhatsApp, or walking into Lux Hospitals, HITEC CITY. If you have symptoms of acute failure (no urine, breathlessness, confusion) come to the hospital immediately rather than waiting for an appointment.
Still have questions? Call us at 079 6908 4422
Still have questions? Message us on WhatsApp at 079 6908 4444
Book a Kidney Consultation in Hyderabad
Urgent assessment of kidney failure with on-site dialysis and transplant workup, and costs shared upfront.
Plot No.116, Lumbini Avenue, HITEC CITY, Near IKEA, Hyderabad – 500032