The Expanding Role of the Nephrologist in the Intensive Care Unit

In decades past, the primary role of the nephrologist in the intensive care unit (ICU) was to provide renal replacement therapy and to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of complex acid-base disorders. As the burden of kidney disease increases in our aging population, clinical nephrologists find themselves practicing more and more critical care medicine. For many nephrologists, particularly those in private practice, they are the de facto intensivist if one of their patients is admitted to the ICU. In other venues, nephrologists are able to consult on …