What is dialysis
Dialysis is a treatment for persons with failed kidneys (working less than 15% and having symptoms). Your kidneys do not purify blood properly when you have this level of kidney disease. As a result, waste and fluid accumulate in your bloodstream. Dialysis eliminates waste products and excess fluid from your blood. The decision on when to start dialysis is based on a combination of blood tests and the symptoms of the patients.
There are two types of dialysis
Hemodialysis (blood dialysis)
Hemodialysis is a procedure in which a machine removes blood from your body, filters it through a dialyzer (artificial kidney), and then returns the clean blood to your body. This is required to be done regularly (3/week and usually is for 4 hours each time). The access may be a catheter (a plastic tube inserted into a vein) or an av fistula (surgically created access).
Is hemodialysis always permanent in all patients?
NO. The kidney injury may be new (acute) or old (chronic). As kidney disease can be asymptomatic, sometimes patients may not know that the disease is old (chronic) and additional tests may be needed to assess if the kidney injury is new or old. In acute kidney injury, the kidney may recover and dialysis may be stopped once the kidneys can maintain normal parameters, however that is not possible in chronic kidney disease, if severe enough to require dialysis.
Peritoneal Dialysis (Water Dialysis)
Peritoneal dialysis uses a dialysis solution to filter blood through tiny blood vessels inside the abdominal lining (peritoneum). This solution is a cleaning liquid made up of water, salt, and other ingredients. Dialysis that gathers waste from the blood by washing the empty area in the abdomen (peritoneal cavity) is known as peritoneal dialysis. This is accessed through your abdomen.
How is peritoneal dialysis done?
In peritoneal dialysis fluid (dialysate) is instilled in the peritoneal space through a plastic tube, there this liquid causes movement of undesired products from the body into the peritoneum which can then after a few hours (4-8) be drained, and fresh dialysate can again be refilled (exchange) or drained (kept dry). This process goes on slowly and almost continuously with some gaps given in between. It is a gentle form of dialysis done daily over prolonged periods. Access to the peritoneal membrane is made by a small day-care surgery in which a tube is inserted through the abdomen around the umbilicus. It takes a few weeks before the PD catheter can be used for starting dialysis.
