Habilitation of the Child with Chronic Renal Failure

Abstract

In the not-too-distant past, habilitation of the child with chronic renal failure was not an issue; all children with chronic renal failure died or were severely impaired. When dialysis and transplantation for children became technically possible, the techniques leading to physical survival were of consuming interest. Devising clinically feasible methods of hemodialysis for a 5-kg child was a sufficiently demanding task. Developing surgical techniques and immunosuppressive regimens making possible transplantation for children was equally challenging.