Acid–Base Disturbances
According to projections from the United States Renal Data Service (USRDS), 〉600,000 individuals in the United States will have end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by 2010. The leading cause of ESRD in the United State is diabetes, followed by hypertension. As the care of diabetic patients has improved, particularly in the area of cardiovascular disease, they are living through their cardiovascular complications long enough to develop ESRD. As a consequence, since the inception of the Medicare ESRD program. the dialysis population has gradually become older with increasing numbers of comorbid conditions. Renal replacement therapy in the form of hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis may serve as a bridge to the best form of renal replacement, renal transplantation. The demand for suitable kidneys for transplantation far exceeds the supply, leaving many patients on dialysis for extended periods of time.