title: [From the washing machine to the RSP: outline of the beginnings of hemodialysis services at the Veterans Hospital in San Juan].
abstract: The invention of Dr. Willem Kolff revolutionized the treatment of the patients with end-stage renal disease in the sixties. This milestone coincided with the beginning of nephrology as a medical subspecialty. A group of professionals that included physicians, technicians and nurses took the task of initiating the first dialysis programs in the hospitals of Puerto Rico. The Veterans Hospital served as a research and training center during the first years of hemodialysis in the island. This article summarizes the challenges and genuine efforts of the professionals that built the foundation of what we know today as renal replacement therapy.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Hemodiálisis, Sección Renal, Servicios Médicos del Hospital de Veteranos de Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Cruz
mesh_terms: D006437:Hemodialysis, Home / Q000266:history; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D011647:Puerto Rico; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation*