After participating in the Saving Young Lives (SYL) workshop held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, we had the opportunity to immediately apply the knowledge and skills we had acquired to provide kidney replacement therapy to a critically ill pediatric patient.
Last Thursday, we admitted a 4-month-old infant with mixed shock (septic and cardiogenic), severe left ventricular dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction of 32%), and coagulopathy. During the first hours of hospitalization, the patient developed progressive fluid overload and severe acute kidney injury, meeting the criteria for the urgent initiation of kidney replacement therapy.
Using the technique we learned during the Saving Young Lives training, Dr. Milenka Flores, a pediatric nephrologist and fellow workshop participant, and I successfully inserted a neonatal peritoneal dialysis catheter, allowing us to initiate kidney replacement therapy immediately. During the procedure, we also had the opportunity to teach the technique step by step to our third-year pediatric residents, promoting knowledge transfer and strengthening our team’s capacity to care for future patients with acute kidney injury.
To date, the patient has shown favorable progress, with reduced requirements for vasoactive medications, decreased fluid overload, and progressive recovery of urine output.
This case is a clear example of the impact of the Saving Young Lives program on clinical practice. The training we received enabled us to place the catheter promptly and initiate kidney replacement therapy without delay, offering a critically ill child the opportunity to recover.
We are deeply grateful to the Sauver de jeunes vies program, the International Society of Nephrology (ISN), and the International Pediatric Nephrology Association (IPNA) for making this training possible. The knowledge and skills we acquired during the course gave us the confidence to provide timely intervention at a critical moment, strengthening the care of children with acute kidney injury in Bolivia and demonstrating how education translates directly into lives saved.
Dr. Reyna Ester Callisaya Calani
Pediatric Nephrologist
In collaboration with Dr. Milenka Flores, Pediatric Nephrologist
Dr. Mario Ortiz Suárez Children’s Hospital
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Participants of the of IPNA SYL Workshop in Bolivia May 2026
