Dialysis

What is Dialysis?

Dialysis is the major treatment for kidney failure. It is the medical word for filtering waste products and removing fluid from your body that kidneys are no longer able to remove.

Haemo dialysis Peritoneal dialysis

There are two forms of dialysis:

What is Haemo Dialysis?

Haemodialysis is the process of removing waste product and excess fluid from the blood. This is done by circulating your blood through a filter, called a dialyzer, or artificial kidney. The dialyszer is used with a dialysis machine. There are different types and brands of dialysis machines, but they all work to produce the same results.

What is Peritoneal Dialysis (PD)?

In essence peritoneal dialysis involves the transport of solutes and water across a “membrane” that separates two fluid containing compartments.

These two compartments are:

(a) The blood in the peritoneal capillaries which in renal failure contains an excess of urea, creatinine, potassium, and so forth.

(b) The dialysis solution in the peritoneal cavity, which contains sodium, chloride and lactate and is rendered hyperosmolar by the inclusion of a high concentration, of glucose. The peritoneal membrane that acts as a “dialyzer” is actually a heteroporous, heterogeneous, semipermeable membrane with a relatively complex anatomy and physiology. Peritoneal dialysis is divided into CAPD (Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis) and APD (Automated Peritoneal Dialysis).

Why do you need to have Dialysis?

You need to have dialysis because your kidneys are not working well. The kidneys, when they are healthy, filter out waste products and fluids from your body to keep a balance of chemicals and fluids steady. The dialysis machine acts in place of your kidney to:

Remove waste products Remove excess fluid Help with the chemical balance in your body Help control blood pressure

Your blood is run outside your body through tubing to the machine where it is filtered to remove waste products and fluids your own kidneys are not able to remove. The filtered blood from the machine is then given back to you through other tubing back to your body.

What your Dialysis  machine cannot do?

The human kidney works around the clock to get rid of extra fluids and balance chemicals. When you are on dialysis, you will have treatments, often 3 times a week. You will have changes in how you feel as the waste and fluid restrictions, you can limit the extremes of these body changes between treatments.

The human kidney also regulates hormones is needed for producing red blood cells. The other is vitamin D, without which your body cannot absorb calcium from foods, which causes weakness in your bones.

Other hormones, regulated by your kidneys, control blood pressure and salt (electrolyte) balance in your body. Medicines can be given to help your body stay in balance without these hormones from your kidneys.