Dialysis is a treatment that helps keep your body in balance by performing many of the same functions as healthy kidneys once a person reaches a certain stage of kidney failure. In rare cases, dialysis is also used to rapidly remove toxins or drugs from the bloodstream.
Dialysis is a process that filters waste, excess salt and water from blood, allowing people with kidney failure to feel better and continue doing the things they enjoy. It keeps potassium, sodium and bicarbonate in the blood at beneficial levels, and helps to control blood pressure.
Why is dialysis necessary?
Approximately 1,500 liters of blood are filtered by one person’s healthy kidneys each day. People whose have kidney disease eventually experience a buildup of waste in their blood. Without dialysis the amount of waste products in the blood would increase and eventually reach toxic levels.
Although dialysis does not cure kidney failure, it can help you feel better and live longer. If you have advanced kidney disease, it is important to talk to your kidney specialist (nephrologist) about the options that may work best for you.
Two main types of dialysis
The type of dialysis a patient should have depends on each individual case. Studies have shown that for kidney disease patients who need to undergo dialysis, one type of treatment is not best for all. Here are the two types of dialysis in use today:
Hemodialysis: In hemodialysis, your blood goes through a filter outside your body and the clean blood is returned to the body. The patient is, in effect, connected to a kind of artificial kidney. Hemodialysis is usually done at a dialysis center three times a week, but it can also be done at home. Each session usually lasts between three and four hours.
Peritoneal Dialysis: This form of dialysis uses the lining or peritoneum of your abdominal cavity (the space in your body that holds the stomach, intestines, and liver) to filter your blood. It works by putting a special fluid into your abdomen that absorbs waste products from your blood as it passes through small blood vessels in the peritoneum. The fluid with the waste products is then drained away. Peritoneal dialysis is done at home by the patient and offers a greater amount of freedom. Many people choose to do this treatment at night, as they sleep. It is ideal for patients who may find hemodialysis too exhausting, such as elderly people, babies and children.
If you have questions about kidney disease or dialysis, please call Dr. Tariq Javed at his offices in Visalia (559-625-8674) or Porterville (550-793-4400).