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Dr. Mihaly Benjamin Tapoolyai, MD, PhD, FASN is a general surgeon in Charleston, SC specializing in general surgery, adult nephrology, primary care and organ transplantation. Dr. Mihaly Benjamin Tapoolyai, MD, PhD, FASN is affiliated with MUSC Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and MUSC Health Nephrology at West Ashley Medical Pavilion.
Dialysis
Dialysis is a procedure that replicates renal (kidney) function by filtering patients' blood. When kidneys do not work properly, waste can accumulate in the blood and unbalanced chemicals can impair the body's critical functions. In order to stay healthy, a person without proper kidney function must receive dialysis. There are two forms of dialysis treatment: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Both forms of dialysis are recurring treatments that in many cases last throughout the lifetime of the affected patient. Patients who briefly lose renal function may slowly reduce the frequency of dialysis sessions until their kidneys recover. However, most patients who start on dialysis remain on dialysis for the rest of their lives or until they receive a kidney transplant.
A number of conditions can worsen renal function and lead to end-stage or acute kidney failure. When kidneys fail (i.e. nearly 90 percent of their function is lost), dialysis is typically prescribed. Conditions that cause chronic kidney failure (eventually requiring dialysis) include:
For hemodialysis (the more common form of dialysis), a patient will visit a hospital or clinic and be connected to a dialysis machine by a needle attached to a tube that draws blood from the arm. The drawn blood is transferred to the dialysis machine, where it is filtered and separated until clean. Waste products from the blood pass into a fluid called dialysate, which is pumped out of the machine into a waste receptacle. The machine also measures and helps ensure the blood has the appropriate level of fluid, electrolytes, and pH. A tube delivers the cleaned blood back into the patient's body. A dialysis session like this will typically last for three to four hours, with a patient undergoing dialysis around three times per week.
A second method of dialysis is known as peritoneal dialysis. Unlike hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis can be performed at home by oneself after an initial surgery. To start, a physician (generally a surgeon) will make a small incision in the lower abdomen and insert and surgically attach a catheter (thin tube). At home, the patient connects a pump to the abdomen catheter, delivering dialysate (dialysis fluid) from a bag hanging on a wheeled stand. This fluid enters the peritoneal cavity (greater abdomen area containing the stomach, liver, and intestines) and collects waste through osmosis, where waste in the blood moves across a membrane and into the dialysate. This process continues for several hours until the fluid concentration is equal between the blood and dialysate, at which point the fluid can be drained. The fluid can then be passed through a machine called a cycler, which removes waste and allows for the dialysate to be reused. This process is repeated about four times per day. Dialysis patients must limit the amount of fluid they consume prior to receiving dialysis and should also avoid eating salty foods. The cycler cannot filter more than a certain amount of waste products from the blood.
Kidneys are important organs, and dialysis treatments are vital for those with renal dysfunction. For many, dialysis is not so much a medical procedure but a part of their normal life.
He has a state license in Louisiana.
Licensed In: Louisiana
Dr. Mihaly Benjamin Tapoolyai, MD, PhD, FASN appears to accept the following insurance providers: Medcost, Aetna Medicare, Cigna Medicare, WellCare, Blue Choice Medicaid, United HealthCare, Great West Healthcare (Part of Cigna now), Molina Healthy Connections Prime Dual Medicare/Medicaid Plan, Humana ChoiceCare PPO (Group Health Plan) (through March 31, 2025), Cigna, Veterans' Affairs Community Care Network (CCN), Molina Healthcare, Tricare, Coventry, Employers Health Network (EHN), First Health, Clover Health, BCBS Blue Essentials (Marketplace), AllWell by Absolute Total Care, Aetna (Open Choice), First Choice Next, Blue Cross Blue Shield Planned Administrators, Aetna (Exclusive Choice), First Choice/Select Health (NEIC), Ambetter from Absolute Total Care (Marketplace), Blue Cross Blue Shield State Health Plan for South Carolina, Aetna (Managed Choice), Aetna (Preferred Provider Organization), Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal (FEP), Blue Cross Blue Shield Preferred Blue (PPC), Absolute Total Care (NEIC), Medicare A & B (Traditional Medicare), Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare, Group Health Plan (GHP), Ambetter from Absolute Total Care (Marketplace) and BCBS Blue Essentials (Marketplace).
According to our sources, Dr. Mihaly Benjamin Tapoolyai, MD, PhD, FASN accepts the following insurance providers:
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These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Mihaly Benjamin Tapoolyai, MD, PhD, FASN. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.
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$127
$127 |
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$13
TOUJEO $13 |
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$11
FARXIGA $11 |
| $151 |
Dr. Tapolyai went to college near Boston, MA then to medical school at the University of Cincinnati where he received his MD degree. He had his internal medicine training in Cleveland, OH and his nephrology training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. His first nephrology job was at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville then he became the acting director of the Nephrology Department at Cleveland Clinic Florida. Then he worked at the Louisiana State University Shreveport for several year. He had several visiting professor jobs including in Okinawa, Japan and held multiple short term coverages at various Army or Veterans’ hospitals. Dr. Tapolyai’s primary clinical expertise is dialysis related either in acute kidney failure in the intensive care unit (ICU) or dialysis patients’ care. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2018 based on his expertise on dialysis patients’ care, specifically the fluid status of patients. He has published papers and studies on the assessments of dialysis patients’ fluid status and their care. He is interested in improving dialysis patients’ lives and improving their outcome. He finds dialysis patients’ care not only a scientifically challenging task but a spiritually rewarding and worthy undertaking.
