How Much Do You Know about Dialysis?

Hemodialysis uses a machine to clean and filter your blood. The procedure also helps control blood pressure. And it helps your body keep the correct balance of chemicals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, and bicarbonate.

During treatment, the blood travels through tubes to the dialyzer. This filters out wastes and extra water. The cleaned blood then flows through another set of tubes back to the body. Before you begin hemodialysis, you'll need surgery to create a way to reach the bloodstream. This access point is a way for blood to be carried to and from the dialysis machine without causing discomfort. The access point can be a graft that connects an artery to a vein using a tube. Or it can be a fistula made by connecting an artery directly to a vein. This is often in the forearm.

Each treatment lasts 3 to 5 hours. People undergoing dialysis must stay near the dialyzer. But they can read, watch TV, talk, or sleep during treatment.

Hemodialysis is usually done at a dialysis center with specially trained staff. It also can be done at home, with a partner's help. Both you and your partner need special training.

These side effects are often caused by rapid changes in your body's water level and chemical balance during a hemodialysis treatment. It often takes several months to adjust to the treatment. To help prevent side effects, follow a healthy diet, limit liquids, and take any medicines as prescribed.

Kidneys keep minerals in balance by working at it nonstop. When you have dialysis to restore this balance, you must limit the amounts of some minerals. Potassium in the right amount keeps the heart beating at a steady rate. Potassium levels can rise between dialysis treatments and affect the heartbeat. Having too much potassium in your diet can be dangerous, even fatal. This mineral is found in salt substitutes, bananas, oranges, many vegetables, chocolate, and nuts. You also must limit salt (sodium). This is found in many canned, frozen, and prepared foods. Too much sodium can make you thirsty. But if you drink more fluid, your heart has to work harder to pump the fluid through your body. Phosphorus is a mineral found in many foods. It can pull calcium from your bones if too much of it is in your blood. Losing calcium will weaken your bones. This will make them more likely to break. Too much phosphorus also can make your skin itch.

The lining is called the peritoneal membrane. It acts as the artificial kidney in this method. A dialysis solution of minerals and sugar enters the belly (abdomen) through a soft tube that has been placed surgically. The sugar (dextrose) draws out wastes, chemicals, and extra water from the tiny blood vessels in the peritoneal membrane. After several hours, the solution is drained back out from the abdomen through the tube. The abdomen is then filled with fresh dialysis solution, and the cycle is repeated. Each cycle is called an exchange. There are 3 types of peritoneal dialysis. One type (continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis) needs no machine and is done several times during the day. Automated peritoneal dialysis uses a machine. It is often done at night while the person sleeps. The third is a combination of the two.

This can happen if the place where the catheter enters the body becomes infected. The infection is called peritonitis. It must be treated right away with antibiotics.

The diet for peritoneal dialysis needs more protein. The limits on potassium may be different. And more salt and liquids may be allowed than for a person on hemodialysis. Because of the calories in the dialysis fluid, the number of calories eaten may be more limited. A dietitian who specializes in helping people with kidney failure can help in planning meals.