Solo practice nephrologist in the Golden State, husband, father, swimmer, skier, and landlocked surfer. #nephrology #solopractice #dialysis

Joined January 2015
12 Photos and videos
Mark Fahlen retweeted
🩺 Podocyte-protecting drugs are changing modern nephrology practice. Podocyte injury is a key driver of proteinuria and CKD progression. Important podocyte-protective therapies include: ✅ RAAS blockers (ACEi/ARBs) ✅ SGLT2 inhibitors ✅ Finerenone & other MRAs ✅ Calcineurin inhibitors ✅ Endothelin pathway inhibitors ✅ Rituximab in selected glomerular diseases 🎯 Goals: • Reduce proteinuria • Preserve glomerular filtration barrier • Slow CKD progression • Improve long-term renal outcomes The strongest evidence today supports: 🛡️ RAAS blockade SGLT2 inhibitor ± Finerenone #GSR #BuddingNephros #Nephrology #Proteinuria #KidneyDisease #GlomerularDisease #MedTwitter
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
Now open access in @NDTsocial Coffee consumption and chronic kidney disease 🧐Current evidence suggests that moderate caffeine intake is probably safe in CKD and may be potentially beneficial. ▶️academic.oup.com/ndt/article…
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Hemodiafiltration is good. Hopefully it will be implemented in the US ESRD population soon.
🚰 Hemodialysis is no longer just about diffusion. 💡 The future is convective. #Hemodiafiltration (#HDF) combines diffusion convection to achieve superior clearance of middle molecules and protein-bound toxins. 📚 Trials like • ESHOL Trial • CONTRAST Trial • CONVINCE Trial suggest better survival and cardiovascular outcomes with high-volume HDF. 🎯 Target convection volume: ➡️ ≥ 23 L/session Why nephrologists are increasingly embracing HDF: ✅ Better middle molecule clearance ✅ Improved hemodynamic tolerance ✅ Better phosphate control ✅ Reduced inflammation ✅ Potential survival benefit “More than filtration. It’s better purification. It’s better care.” #GSR #BuddingNephros #Nephrology #Dialysis #KidneyDisease #CKD #NephTwitter #MedTwitter #HDF
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
KIDNEY DISEASE CONTINUUM : AKI,AKD,CKD Based on KDIGO Guidelines #KDIGO
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
Navigating Anemia Therapy in CKD: The Role of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Activators bit.ly/3NOciNx (OPEN ACCESS)
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Apr 29
Ten tips to control blood pressure in haemodialysis patients doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfag128
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
🧵 Antibiotics in CKD – Quick Clinical Guide 1️⃣ CKD changes drug handling → ↓ clearance = ↑ toxicity → Always think dose adjustment 2️⃣ Golden rules: ✔ Loading dose = SAME ✔ Adjust maintenance dose ✔ Use eGFR/CrCl ✔ Monitor toxicity 3️⃣ 💊 NEED dose adjustment: β-lactams (except ceftriaxone) Vancomycin Aminoglycosides ⚠️ Levofloxacin / Ciprofloxacin TMP-SMX 4️⃣ ✅ SAFE (no adjustment): Ceftriaxone Linezolid Doxycycline Azithromycin Clindamycin 👉 Prefer these in CKD 5️⃣ ❌ Avoid / caution: Aminoglycosides (nephrotoxic) Nitrofurantoin (eGFR <30) Amphotericin B High-dose acyclovir 6️⃣ 🩺 Dialysis pearls: HD → give AFTER dialysis PD → prefer intraperitoneal route 7️⃣ 🎯 Clinical picks: UTI → Ceftriaxone Pneumonia → Ceftriaxone Azithro MRSA → Linezolid 👍 / Vancomycin 8️⃣ 🚨 Red flags: Confusion = β-lactam toxicity Hyperkalemia = TMP-SMX Hearing loss = aminoglycosides 📌 Takeaway: Right drug right dose renal adjustment = safe therapy in CKD #GSR #BuddingNephros #Antibiotics #CKD
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
🧠 Post Renal Transplant Infections Timeline – Must Know! 🕒 0–1 month (Surgical phase) • Nosocomial infections dominate • UTI, SSI, pneumonia • Not immunosuppression-driven 🕒 1–6 months (🔥 Peak immunosuppression) • Opportunistic infections • Cytomegalovirus infection (most common) • Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, TB, fungi • BK virus nephropathy 🕒 >6 months (Community phase) • CAP, UTI, influenza • Late CMV, PCP (if no prophylaxis) • Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder 💡 Pearls: ✔ Timeline = diagnosis shortcut ✔ CMV = key player ✔ Think TB in India ✔ TMP-SMX prophylaxis saves lives #GSR #BuddingNephros #Transplant #Infection
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
Hemodiafiltration: A Mini Review @SilberjRogosin bit.ly/4awrvuf
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
People often ask that if they are doing good after starting dialysis , why they should go for transplant ? 💉 Here's a Survival Reality Check between HD and Transplant- 📊 5-year survival on hemodialysis: ~35–45% 👉 Only ~4 out of 10 patients make it to 5 years 🧬 Kidney Transplant changes the story: ✅ 1-year patient survival: 95–98% ✅ 5-year patient survival: 85–90% ✅ Graft survival at 5 years: • Living donor: ~85–90% • Deceased donor: ~70–80% ⚖️ The difference is clear: Transplant offers ~2–3× better long-term survival than dialysis ❤️ Beyond survival: ✔ Better quality of life ✔ Freedom from dialysis ✔ Improved cardiovascular outcomes 📌 Bottom line: Dialysis sustains life… 👉 Transplant restores it #GSR #BuddingNephros #Nephrology #KidneyTransplant #Dialysis #CKD #MedEd #NephTwitter
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
Update on gadolinium and CKD/ ESKD ca. 2021 from @NephRodby @MPerazella #Nephpearls Risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is low w/ group II gadolinium-based contrast media GBCM, so potential harms of delaying/ withholding group II GBCM for MRI in a patient w/ AKI or eGFR < 30 is likely to outweigh risk in most situations 👉 kidneymedicinejournal.org/ar…
Trick question. Both are safe. Please get the right imaging for your patient when it matters!
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
The dramatic expansion in CKD therapeutics to prevent progression of kidney disease and reduce cardiovascular events calls for thoughtful implementation. The 2025 guidelines synthesize new evidence for Primary Care Management of CKD in this #ASNCJASN #perspective kidney.pub/CJASN1018
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
🧠 Living Kidney Donor Criteria ➡️ Shift from “cut-offs” → 🎯 individualized lifetime ESRD risk ✅ GFR ≥90 → Accept | <60 → Reject ⚖️ 60–89 → Case-based ✅ ACR <30 → OK | >300 → No ✅ Controlled HTN → Acceptable ❌ Diabetes (usually exclude) ⚠️ BMI >30 caution 🚫 Absolute: CKD, proteinuria, uncontrolled HTN, active malignancy 💡 KEY: Donor safety FIRST — long-term risk matters more than numbers #GSR #BuddingNephros #Nephrology #KidneyTransplant
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Agree.
🩻Contrast-induced AKI: one of the biggest myths still shaping clinical decisions For decades we were taught: 👉 “Contrast damages the kidneys” 👉 “Avoid CT with contrast in CKD” 👉 “Hydrate, protect, delay imaging if needed” But what if… most of this is wrong?🤔 ->The uncomfortable reality Modern evidence shows: 👉 Low-osmolar contrast rarely causes true nephrotoxicity 👉 Even in CKD, AKI, and ICU patients 👉 The risk is often overestimated—or nonexistent So where did the fear come from? 📍 1950s high-osmolar contrast (actually toxic) 📍 Poorly controlled observational studies 📍 “Creatinine rise = contrast injury” assumption 👉 Correlation became causation 👉 And the dogma stayed ⚠️What recent data tells us ✔ No difference in AKI rates with vs without contrast ✔ No benefit from bicarbonate, NAC, or aggressive hydration ✔ Even ICU and AKI patients show no worsening outcomes ->Translation to real life 👉 The patient was going to develop AKI anyway...Not because of contrast!! ->The real problem: “Renalism” 👉 Avoiding necessary imaging 👉 Delaying diagnosis 👉 Choosing inferior tests And that leads to: ❌ Missed PE ❌ Delayed sepsis source control ❌ Worse outcomes ->Clinical mindset shift Instead of asking: 👉 “Will contrast harm the kidneys?” We should ask: 👉 “Will NOT doing the scan harm the patient?” ->Who still deserves caution? ✔ eGFR <30 ✔ Severe hemodynamic instability ✔ Multiple nephrotoxins Even then: 👉 Optimize volume 👉 Minimize dose 👉 Don’t delay critical imaging 🤓Bottom line ✔ Contrast nephrotoxicity exists… but is rare ✔ The fear is bigger than the risk ✔ The harm of NOT imaging is often greater In critical care 👉 We don’t treat creatinine 👉 We treat patients And sometimes… 👉 The most dangerous thing is NOT the contrast 👉 It’s hesitation. 📃Reference Florens N, Demiselle J. Kidney360 7: 445–449, 2026. doi: doi.org/10.34067/KID.0000001…
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Prevention of Urinary Stones with Hydration - PUSH Trial 1. Didn't work 2. Tough to get pts to drink more water. The PUSH Trial in Lancet - thelancet.com/journals/lance… A nice synopsis of the trial here - nephjc.com/news/2026/4/2/nep…
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
Furosemide plus oral sodium chloride for syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis after fluid restriction failure doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfag107
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Mark Fahlen retweeted
Confused about osteoporosis drugs in CKD? 👉 Low PTH = build bone → Teriparatide 👉 Any CKD = use safely → Denosumab (watch Ca!) 👉 Early CKD only → Bisphosphonates Simple rule: Turnover guides therapy #GSR #BuddingNephros #Nephrology #CKD
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