Hemo Dialysis
Dialysis is a treatment for people in the later stage of chronic kidney disease (kidney failure). This treatment cleans the blood and removes wastes and excess water from the body. Normally, this work is done by healthy kidneys.
Sometimes dialysis is a temporary treatment. However, when the loss of kidney function is permanent as in end-stage kidney failure), you must continue to have dialysis on a regular basis. The only treatment for kidney failure is a kidney transplant.
How is hemodialysis done?
In hemodialysis, blood is removed from the body and filtered through a man-made membrane called a dialyzer, or artificial kidney, and then the filtered blood is returned to the body. The average person has about 10 to 12 pints of blood; during dialysis only one pint (about two cups) is outside of the body at a time. To perform hemodialysis there needs to be an access created to get the blood from the body to the dialyzer and back to the body. There are three access types for hemodialysis: arteriovenous (AV) fistula, AV graft and central venous catheter. The AV fistula is the vascular access most recommended by the dialysis community; however, you and your doctor will decide which access is best for you.
Blood never actually goes through the dialysis machine. The dialysis machine is like a big computer and a pump. It keeps track of blood flow, blood pressure, how much fluid is removed and other vital information. It mixes the dialysate, or dialysis solution, which is the fluid bath that goes into the dialyzer. This fluid helps pull toxins from the blood, and then the bath goes down the drain. The dialysis machine has a blood pump that keeps the blood flowing by creating a pumping action on the blood tubes that carry the blood from the body to the dialyzer and back to the body. The dialysis machine also has many safety detection features. If you visit a dialysis center, you will likely hear some of the warning sounds made by a dialysis machine.
How long does hemodialysis take?
Each hemodialysis treatment normally takes four to five hours, and usually three treatments a week are needed. More frequent, shorter treatments or longer treatments may be indicated for certain patients. Only a small amount of your blood is out of the body at one time. Therefore your blood must circulate through the machine many times before it is cleaned.
Where can hemodialysis be done?
Hemodialysis may be done in a hospital dialysis unit, in a clinic away from the hospital, in a self-care centre (with some assistance from the staff), or at home. Special training is needed for self-care or home hemodialysis.
