What is Dialysis?
Dialysis is a medical treatment that cleans your body by removing unwanted toxins, excess fluids, and waste products. Kidneys filter your body and maintain its chemical balance. When your kidneys fail, dialysis performs the function of the kidney. With the help of this treatment and the medication, people live longer.
Who Needs Dialysis?
If a person is detected with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) or he/she is at the End State Renal Disease (ESRD), which is also called the kidney failure or the stage 5 CKD, the dialysis treatment is recommended. At this stage, kidneys are not functioning to filter and clean a body the way the normal kidneys do. Due to this, life-threatening toxins and waste start building up in the body. Dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant is required.
Different types of dialysis
There are two main dialysis types, but you have several kidney failure treatment options. Your doctor is the best person who can suggest you the needed type. You can also choose the place of the treatment – at a center or your home.
Peritoneal dialysis: The dialysis treatment uses the peritoneum as a membrane found in a person’s abdomen that exchanged the fluid and dissolved substances. In the treatment, the membrane is used for removing toxin elements to filter the body. You can choose the treatment at home which is done with the machine or manual support.
Hemodialysis: It purifies the blood when kidneys are not functional. The treatment is done by the machine called dialyzer. At Suffolk, we used the machine where the blood flows to it to get filtered. After which, the machine also returns the filtered blood to your body. You can also choose a center or a home dialysis treatment.
Facts of dialysis:
- Dialysis performs many functions of kidneys.
- The treatment gives a prolonged life to those who are suffering from kidney problems.
- The main two types of dialysis are – hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis
- You can choose at-home dialysis treatment also.
- Doctors choose dialysis type as per a person’s health needs.
Explore Potential Treatment Options
When it comes to treating kidney failure with dialysis, you have certain options. From dialyzing at home to getting treated at a center, discover which one could better suit your lifestyle.
Home dialysis options
Peritoneal dialysis (PD)
PD is a needle-free treatment done at home that uses the lining of the abdomen (or belly) to filter waste from the blood. It is the treatment most similar to your natural kidney function1. Some of the potential benefits of PD include:
- Control of your own treatment and a more flexible schedule
- Greater ability to pursue personal interests
- Preservation of remaining kidney function, leading to enhanced clinical outcomes
- Better transplant outcomes
Home hemodialysis (HHD)
HHD works just like in-center hemodialysis by using an external filter to clean toxins from your body, only the machine is smaller and more user-friendly. There are many potential benefits to HHD, such as:
- The ability to dialyze in the comfort of your own home
- Greater ability to travel
- Shorter recovery time after treatments
- Fewer medications required
Dialysis center options
In-center hemodialysis
In-center hemodialysis requires you to visit a dialysis center three times per week. It uses a machine to filter your blood and clear toxins from your kidneys. In-center hemodialysis offers several potential benefits, which include:
- The chance to socialize with other patients and staff
- A personalized care team
- No supplies to store at home
- Minimized weight gain
In-center nocturnal dialysis
In-center nocturnal dialysis allows you to dialyze in-center overnight three times per week, for 6-8 hours while you sleep. It also includes potential benefits such as:
- No interference with daytime schedule
- An improved appetite
- Better blood pressure control
