SATURDAY APPOINTMENTS NOW AVAILABLE FOR DIALYSIS PATIENTS
Meet the Doctors
Gautam Bhanushali, MD
Dr. Bhanushali is an ASDIN certified interventional nephrologist who specializes in outpatient surgical procedures and diagnostic imaging for vascular access and dialysis patient care. He cares for patients with kidney disease and kidney injury at NANI and participates in the peripheral artery disease clinic at Willow Springs Surgery Center. Dr. Bhanushali was trained at Topiwala National Medical College in India, Cook County Hospital in Chicago and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has credentials at the following hospitals in or near Chicago: Advocate Trinity Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Jackson Park Hospital, Sherman Hospital and St. Bernard Hospital. Nephdocs.com
Wadah Atassi, MD
Dr. Atassi was educated and trained at Damascus University in Syria, Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago. He is an ASDIN certified interventional nephrologist who specializes in outpatient surgical procedures and diagnostic imaging for vascular access and dialysis patient care. He cares for patients with kidney disease and kidney injury at NANI and participates in the peripheral artery disease clinic at Willow Springs Surgery Center. Dr. Atassi has credentials at these hospitals: Advocate Trinity Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Jackson Park Hospital, Little Company of Mary Hospital, Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, South Shore Hospital and St. Bernard Hospital Nephdocs.com
Andrew Kowalski, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Kowalski cares for patients with kidney disease and kidney injury at NANI in Berwyn, is an ASDIN certified interventional nephrologist who specializes in vascular access and dialysis patient care, and participates in the peripheral artery disease clinic at Willow Springs Surgery Center. He is a clinical instructor at Rosalind Franklin University and University of Illinois at Chicago and has published research studies, articles, book chapters and poster presentations in the field of Nephrology. Dr. Kowalski was trained at Northwestern University in Chicago, St. George's University School of Medicine in the West Indies and Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was Chief Resident. He is on staff at MacNeal Hospital. Nephdocs.com
More about our Nephrology Services
If you are on hemodialysis treatment for kidney failure, you know that any complication with your vascular access, or the port that was created for your dialysis, can lead to serious health issues. There could be vessel stenosis (blood vessel narrowing), thrombosis (blood clot), aneurysm development or infection. These vascular issues can be serious but are not unusual. Many dialysis patients need to have occasional procedures to maintain their dialysis vascular access.
If you are having problems with your vascular access, fistula or graft, you will need comprehensive care from an interventional nephrologist, a kidney doctor who specializes in vascular access care and procedures related to access problems.
Your treating nephrologist may refer you to the dialysis access care team at Willow Springs Surgery Center. Using the latest technology for imaging in our advanced facility, our interventional nephrologist will identify the specific issues with your access and then provide an intervention, such as minor surgery, to fix the issue. Our goal is to quickly get you back to your routine, feeling as healthy as possible.
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Thrombectomy and declot:
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A procedure to remove blood clots and re-establish blood flow in the dialysis access.
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Angiogram and fistulogram:
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Your clinician will inject contrast dye through the fistula or graft to identify the cause of a blood flow problem.
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Angioplasty:
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Your clinician uses a balloon catheter to widen a narrowing of the vein.
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Stent placement:
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Used to help prop open a blood vessel that is narrow after angioplasty.
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Tunneled central lines management:
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Your clinician will place, exchange or remove a dialysis catheter in one of the central veins.
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Vessel mapping:
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Your clinician will use an ultrasound or angiogram to identify the best blood vessels and optimal access surgery for vascular access.
We are the first in Illinois to offer Ellipsys AVF for dialysis access
This groundbreaking technology offers patients a faster, less invasive alternative for creating a dialysis fistula. No large incisions or stitches are required, so most Ellipsys patients leave with just a band-aid. This minimally invasive procedure is completed in our outpatient surgery center allowing you to return to normal activities the next day! To find out if you or your patient is a candidate for Ellipsys, please call the Center at 708-594-3513 to schedule a vein mapping appointment.
Nephrology Associates of Northern Illinois/Indiana (NANI) is a leader in treatment for kidney disease, kidney injury and hypertension.
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