Pre-Congress Program

The Interventional Nephrology Course is designed for nephrology physicians and associated healthcare providers. It offers a hands-on opportunity to learn the fundamentals of ultrasound practices in patients with renal disease. The course covers a broad spectrum of procedures required for dialysis access care, including hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter procedures, kidney biopsy, endovascular procedures, and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS).

The session on access procedures will give participants experience in HD and PD catheter placement and kidney biopsy. The arteriovenous (AV) access sessions include physical examinations and practice of endovascular procedures, including angioplasty, thrombectomy and stent placement.

POCUS has emerged as an essential tool for bedside diagnostic evaluation in clinical practice; the session will teach the use of POCUS to evaluate the kidney, bladder, vascular access, and volume status in CKD patients. Prominent world experts present the course and will be present for Q&A sessions on each topic.

The symposium will cover a range of topics relevant to all kidney care professionals.

The program was developed by renal nurses and includes:

• High-quality peritoneal dialysis (PD) as a viable option
• Latest evidence in training and retraining patients in PD
• Identifying challenges of translating guidelines into clinical practice

The symposium will also review the challenges hemodialysis patients face in volume, vascular access, and end-of-life planning and discuss kidney patients’ mental health and quality of life.

Pathological examination of renal biopsy is important in diagnosing and managing renal diseases, providing prognostic information and aiding in therapeutic decision-making.

The renal pathology course offers an in-depth update on the pathology of various kidney diseases, describing recent insights into the pathophysiologic aspects of diseases and discussing novel cross-cutting technologies that transform nephropathology research, diagnostics and data mining of kidney tissue.

The clinicopathological conference will tackle a selection of cases showing distinctive renal biopsy findings instructive toward a definitive diagnosis. The speakers are international renal pathologists and nephrologists who are recognized leaders in their fields.

The foundation of this course is the ISN’s endorsement of kidney supportive care (KSC) and conservative kidney management (CKM) as core components of integrated kidney care. The course defines these terms, the rationale for their existence, and their importance within nephrology, integrating a newly developed ISN curriculum.

The course is designed for nephrology physicians and associated healthcare providers and will systematically lead participants through the main elements of CKM, including:

• Circumstances when a person with kidney failure may not receive kidney replacement therapy
• Preserving residual kidney function
• Managing the metabolic complications of kidney failure
• Symptom assessment and management
• Communication skills
• Transitioning to end-of-life care

Practical aspects of care and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach will be highlighted throughout the course.

The course will examine the challenges to CKM provision globally, including issues of resources, capacity building, and advocacy in low- and middle-income countries.

This course uses a case-based discussion format to review the epidemiology, diagnosis, histopathology, and management issues of common glomerular diseases encountered by general physicians worldwide.

In addition, it will outline approaches to various clinical presentations of glomerular diseases and review the basic foundation of renal histopathology.

The course will also provide an evidence-based review of current therapeutic agents and treatment guidelines for various glomerular diseases.

It is structured to encourage close engagement with faculty, allowing the participants to discuss the rationale of treatment issues when the clinical evidence is weak or lacking.