Outpatient infusion therapy for kidney patients, given on Wednesdays in the Northern Nephrology office by two experienced infusion nurses working directly with your kidney team.
Developed by Craig G. Hurwitz, MD
📍 52 Tom Miller Road, Plattsburgh, NY☎ 518-324-4000
About the NNH Infusion Service
Wednesdays at NNH
Two experienced infusion nurses
Kidney-focused care
Some kidney conditions need treatments that work better through an IV. Our Wednesday Infusion Service lets patients receive specialized medications in the familiar setting of Northern Nephrology, cared for by experienced infusion nurses working directly with your kidney team.
A pill has to survive your stomach and be absorbed before it can help. Some medicines cannot be made into a pill at all, some are not absorbed well enough, and some need to go in slowly and steadily. An IV is a small, soft tube placed in a vein. It lets the medicine go straight into the bloodstream, at a speed your nurse controls.
Replace something your body needs
Sometimes the body runs low on something it needs to work well, and food or pills cannot replace it fast enough. Giving it through an IV puts it straight into the bloodstream.
Example: IV iron, when the body does not have enough usable iron to make healthy red blood cells.
Calm an overactive immune system
The immune system normally fights infection. In some kidney diseases it turns on the body by mistake and damages the kidney. Certain IV medicines quiet down the immune cells doing the damage.
Example: Rituximab, for selected autoimmune kidney diseases.
Bring down inflammation quickly
Inflammation is the body's swelling-and-irritation response. When it flares inside the kidney, it can cause damage quickly. An IV can deliver a strong anti-inflammatory medicine faster and more completely than a pill.
Example: IV methylprednisolone, for certain inflammatory kidney conditions.
Other specialized kidney treatments
Kidney conditions are not all alike, and neither are their treatments. NNH may give other intravenous medicines when they are the right choice for a patient's condition and treatment plan.
What this means for you: the medicine you receive is chosen for your condition — not from a standard list.
This page explains what infusion care is. It is not medical advice. Your NNH provider will determine whether an infusion treatment is appropriate for you.
What we give
Meet the infusion medications
These are examples of medications given in the NNH Infusion Service. Open any card to see what it does and why it goes in through an IV. This is not a full list, and not every medication is right for every patient.
Iron is the building block your body uses to make hemoglobin — the part of a red blood cell that carries oxygen around your body. Without enough iron, you make fewer healthy red blood cells, and you can feel tired or short of breath.
Kidney disease can contribute to anemia (a low red blood cell count) and to low iron. Some people also cannot absorb enough iron from pills, or need their iron replaced more quickly than pills allow.
An IV lets iron go straight into the bloodstream, so your body can use it to build red blood cells.
Worth knowing: not everyone with kidney disease needs IV iron. Your NNH provider looks at your blood counts, your iron levels and your overall picture before recommending it.
As usable iron becomes available, the body has what it needs to build healthy, oxygen-carrying red blood cells.
Some kidney diseases happen when the immune system mistakes the body's own tissue for something to attack. Instead of protecting the kidney, the immune response damages it.
Rituximab targets a type of immune cell called a B cell. For selected autoimmune diseases, lowering the number of these cells can help bring the abnormal immune response under control.
Conditions where this approach may be considered include certain forms of vasculitis and other immune-mediated kidney disorders.
Worth knowing: whether this medication fits a particular person depends on the diagnosis, previous treatments and many other factors. That decision belongs to your NNH provider.
Fewer B cells means less of the immune activity that was harming the kidney.
Steroids are powerful medicines that reduce inflammation — the swelling and irritation that can damage kidney tissue during a flare.
For some serious inflammatory kidney conditions, a physician may recommend giving a high dose through an IV rather than as a pill, so it reaches the whole body quickly and completely.
Steroid treatment is usually planned as part of a bigger picture, and your provider will explain what comes next after the infusions.
Worth knowing: steroids have real effects on the body, and your NNH team weighs those against the risk of leaving inflammation untreated. Ask your provider what to expect for your treatment.
The goal is to settle the inflammation down before it does lasting damage.
The medications above are examples, not a complete list. NNH may administer other intravenous medications when they are clinically indicated and appropriate for our office infusion service.
Not every IV medication can be given here. Some treatments need a hospital or a specialized center, and NNH decides on a case-by-case basis whether a medication — and a patient — is a good fit for the office setting.
If you have been told you may need an infusion, ask your NNH provider whether it is one we can give in our office, and what the visit would look like.
Your NNH provider will determine whether an infusion treatment is appropriate for you. Nothing on this page is a recommendation for any individual patient.
Step by step
What happens during an infusion
Every infusion is a little different, but the shape of the visit is the same. Move through the steps to see what a treatment day looks like at NNH.
Step 1 of 7
Arrive
You check in at the NNH office, the same front desk you already know. There is no separate hospital registration to go through.
Step 2 of 7
Get comfortable
You settle into an infusion chair. Your infusion nurse reviews your medications, asks how you have been feeling, checks your vital signs, and goes over the plan for today's treatment.
Step 3 of 7
Start the IV
A small IV is placed in a vein, usually in your arm or hand. Most people feel a brief pinch as it goes in, and then nothing at all.
Step 4 of 7
Medication begins
Your medication is given at the rate that is right for that treatment. Some medications go in over a short time, others take much longer, and some start slowly and speed up.
Step 5 of 7
We monitor you
Your nurse stays nearby and checks how you are doing during the infusion. You are not left on your own, and you can ask for something or say something feels off at any point.
Step 6 of 7
Observation when needed
Some medications call for a period of watching during or after the treatment. If yours does, your nurse will tell you before you start so you can plan your day.
Step 7 of 7
Head home
When the treatment and any needed observation are done, the IV is removed and you go home with instructions for what to watch for and what comes next.
Getting ready
Your infusion day
A little preparation makes the visit easier. Tick off the list as you pack — nothing you check here is saved or sent anywhere.
What to bring
Six things worth having with you.
Ready for infusion? 0 of 6 packed.
You're ready. We'll take it from here.
Before you come in
Take your usual medications unless your care team tells you otherwise.
Follow any instructions NNH gave you for this specific treatment. Preparation is not the same for every medication, so go by what our team told you rather than by anything general you have read.
Eat and drink normally unless you were told otherwise.
Plan for the time. If you are not sure how long your treatment will take, call the office and ask before your visit.
Call us before you come if…
you are sick, have a fever, have started an antibiotic, have had a recent infection, or something important about your health has changed. It may be safer to reschedule, and we would rather hear from you first.
Safety
We're watching more than the IV
Infusion care is not just hanging a bag and waiting. Choose anything below to see why your nurse may be keeping an eye on it. What is checked, and how often, depends on the medication you are receiving.
Why this matters
Blood pressure
Kidney disease and some treatments can affect blood pressure, so we monitor it when that is appropriate for your infusion. Changes are also one of the earliest signals that something needs a closer look.
Heart rate
Your pulse is a simple, quick way to see how your body is handling the treatment. Your nurse checks it as appropriate for the medication you are receiving.
Temperature
When it is indicated for your treatment, your temperature is checked. Chills or a rising temperature during an infusion are worth knowing about early.
How you feel
You are the best monitor in the room. Tell your nurse right away if you develop itching, flushing, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, dizziness, chills — or if you simply feel different. You never need to wait to be asked.
The IV site
Your nurse watches the spot where the IV enters your vein to be sure the medication is infusing the way it should. Tell your nurse if that area starts to sting, burn, ache or swell.
Signs of a reaction
Some medications can cause an infusion reaction. Your nurse knows what to look for with the specific medication you are getting, and the monitoring plan is matched to that medication.
Relevant lab results
Some infusions are guided by lab work — for example blood counts or iron levels. Because your labs live in the same practice, your infusion nurse and your nephrology provider are looking at the same results.
Kidney function
Your kidney function is the reason you are here, and it shapes which treatments make sense. It is followed as part of your regular nephrology care, not treated as a separate matter from your infusion.
How the treatment is working
Over time, your NNH team looks at whether the treatment is doing what it was meant to do, and whether the plan should change. That conversation happens with the same team that started it.
Not every parameter is watched continuously for every medication. Your nurse follows the monitoring plan for the treatment you are receiving, and will tell you what to expect for yours.
If something feels different
Your nurse is right there
Infusion reactions can happen with some medications. That is exactly why you are watched during treatment, and why the plan for each medication is different. Here is what happens if you tell us something feels off.
1
You notice somethingItching, warmth, a tight chest, or just a feeling that something is different.
2
You tell your nurseRight away. Your nurse is nearby for this reason.
3
The infusion is assessedIt can be slowed or paused while you are checked.
4
Your symptoms are evaluatedYour nurse checks you and involves your NNH provider as needed.
5
The plan is adjustedTreatment continues, changes, or stops — whichever is right for you.
New itching
A rash, or flushing
Trouble breathing
Chest tightness
Dizziness
Chills
Nausea
Sudden discomfort
Anything that feels unusual
Please speak up rather than trying to tough it out. Telling your nurse early is the single most useful thing you can do during an infusion. Nothing is too small to mention, and you will not be a bother.
Coordinated care
Your infusion is part of your kidney care, not separate from it
Infusion therapy at NNH happens inside your nephrology practice. Choose any part of your care below to see how it connects.
At NNH, your infusion nurses and your nephrology team are part of the same care environment. Choose any item above to see how it connects to your infusion.
Your kidney history and treatment plan are already the reason you are receiving the medication — they do not have to be explained again somewhere else.
Questions about kidney function, blood pressure, anemia, medications or how the treatment is working can be taken straight to the nephrology team.
It is a smaller, familiar place, with the same faces at the front desk and the same two nurses at the chair.
Common questions
Questions patients ask us
If your question is not here, call the office. We would rather answer it before your visit than have you wonder about it.
It varies a great deal. The time depends on the medication, the dose, how fast it can safely be given, whether you need medications beforehand, and whether your treatment includes a period of observation.
NNH will tell you what to expect for your specific treatment, so you can plan your day. If you were not told, or you have forgotten, call and ask.
Usually yes. Most patients can eat and drink normally unless they were given specific instructions for their treatment. Follow whatever NNH told you for your medication.
That depends on the medication and on whether you are given anything beforehand that could make you drowsy. Follow the instructions the infusion team gives you for your treatment. If you are unsure, ask before your appointment so you can arrange a ride if you need one.
Most people feel a brief pinch when the IV is placed. After that, you generally should not feel the medication going into the vein. If the IV site starts to sting, burn or ache during treatment, tell your nurse — that is worth checking.
Generally yes. Bring whatever helps you settle in — a phone or tablet, headphones, a book, a charger. Infusion time passes more easily with something to do.
Call NNH before you come in. That is especially important if you have a fever, an active infection, a significant new illness, or you have recently started an antibiotic. Depending on the treatment, it may be safer to reschedule.
Coverage depends on the medication and on your insurance plan, and some treatments require prior authorization before they can be given. NNH works through the appropriate authorization process.
We cannot promise what any particular plan will cover, so please contact the office with questions about your own insurance.
Different medicines work in different ways and are given by different protocols. Some go in quickly with little fuss; others are given slowly, with checks along the way, because that is how they are safely administered. The plan follows the medication.
No. NNH determines whether a particular medication — and a particular patient — is appropriate for our office infusion setting. Some treatments belong in a hospital or a specialized center, and we will say so.
NNH Infusion Service
Advanced treatment. Familiar team.
Infusion therapy in the same office as your kidney care, on Wednesdays, with two experienced infusion nurses who will know you by name.
Mon
Tue
WedInfusion day
Thu
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Sat
Sun
Chelsey Bond, RN & Jamie Facteau-Gadbois, RN
Two experienced infusion nurses dedicated to your care.
Northern Nephrology & Hypertension
52 Tom Miller Road
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Phone: 518-324-4000
Have questions about an upcoming infusion? Call NNH at 518-324-4000. Your treatment plan starts with your NNH provider — if an infusion is recommended, our team will guide you through each step.
