How Dialysis Works?
In hemodialysis, your blood is allowed to flow, a few ounces at a time, through a special filter that removes wastes and extra fluids. The clean blood is then returned to your body.
Removing the harmful wastes and extra salt and fluids helps control your blood pressure and keep the proper balance of chemicals like potassium and sodium in your body.
One of the biggest adjustments you must make when you start hemodialysis treatments is following a strict schedule. Most patients go to a clinic – a dialysis center – 3 times a week for 3 to 5 or more hours each visit.
For example, you may be on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule or a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule. You may be asked to choose a morning, afternoon, or evening shift, depending on availability and capacity at the dialysis unit. Your dialysis center will explain your options for scheduling regular treatments.
Home Dialysis (Hemodialysis or Peritneal Dialysis) – Some facilities teach patients how to perform their own hemodialysis treatments at home. A family member or friend who will be your helper must also take the training, which usually takes at least 4 to 6 weeks. Home dialysis gives you more flexibility in your dialysis schedule.
With home hemodialysis, the time for each session and the number of sessions per week may vary, but you must maintain a regular schedule by giving yourself dialysis treatments as often as you would receive them in a dialysis unit.
Vascular Access
One important step before starting hemodialysis is preparing a vascular access, a site on your body from which your blood is removed and returned. A vascular access should be prepared weeks or months before you start dialysis. It will allow easier and more efficient removal and replacement of your blood with fewer complications. There are different kinds of vascular accesses - arteriofistula, graft, and catheter.
Dialyzer
Structure of a typical hollow fiber dialyzer. The dialyzer is a large canister containing thousands of small fibers through which your blood is passed. Dialysis solution, the cleansing fluid, is pumped around these fibers. The fibers allow wastes and extra fluids to pass from your blood into the solution, which carries them away. The dialyzer is sometimes called an artificial kidney.
Dialysis Solution
Dialysis solution, also known as dialysate, is the fluid in the dialyzer that helps remove wastes and extra fluid from your blood. It contains chemicals that make it act like a sponge. Your doctor will give you a specific dialysis solution for your treatments. This formula can be adjusted based on how well you handle the treatments and on your blood tests.
Needles
Many people find the needle sticks to be one of the hardest parts of hemodialysis treatments Most people, however, report getting used to them after a few sessions. If you find the needle insertion painful, an anesthetic cream or spray can be applied to the skin. The cream or spray will numb your skin briefly so you won't feel the needle. Most dialysis centers use two needles - one to carry blood to the dialyzer and one to return the cleaned blood to your body. Some specialized needles are designed with two openings for two-way flow of blood, but these needles are less efficient and require longer sessions. Needles for high-flux or high-efficiency dialysis need to be a little larger20than those used with regular dialyzers.
Dialysis Treatment
- More than 300,000 patients in the United States are diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, also known as kidney failure.
- More than 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with kidney failure and End Stage Renal Disease each year.
- Patients with kidney failure are expected to increase 85% between 2000 and 2015.
- Kidney Disease is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States.
- One out of nine Americans suffers from kidney disease.
- Over 60,000 Americans are on the transplant list.High blood pressure and diabetes are the two leading risk factors of kidney failure.
- Access to dialysis is more important than ever.
- Patient Education is essential.
- Kidney failure patients will die....unless they have dialysis or transplant.
- Prevention is critical!
