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When the kidneys function optimally, they operate as a sort of filter, removing excess waste and water from your blood. But when the kidneys begin to fail, due to kidney disease or for another reason, this essential filtering function is diminished. This can lead to several health issues, including electrolyte imbalances and high blood pressure.
When this occurs, treatment with dialysis can help. Dialysis performs some of the normal responsibilities of the kidneys, filtering out what’s unnecessary and cleansing the blood. This helps the body maintain normal levels of electrolytes, including sodium, and helps maintain normal blood pressure.
Types of Dialysis
There are two distinct kinds of dialysis, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. They both perform the essential functions that your kidneys usually do, but they do so in different ways.
During hemodialysis, an artificial kidney (also called a dialyzer) is used to filter blood. First, a doctor will perform a minor procedure that provides access to your blood vessels. Once your blood is accessed, the machine pumps blood through the filter and then returns the blood to the body.
During peritoneal dialysis, the filtering process takes place inside your body. When you first begin, a doctor will perform a procedure to place a catheter in the abdomen. The lining of your abdomen—called the peritoneum—is then filled with a chemical called dialysate. This chemical absorbs the waste in your blood while in the body and is then emptied from the body and replaced with a fresh solution in a process called an exchange.
During short daily home dialysis, you will have a small portable machine designed specifically for home hemodialysis. The daily treatments more closely resemble normal kidney function and are considered by many in the renal community to be a promising alternative to current three-times-a-week dialysis. This is the most widely used form of home hemodialysis today.
The amount of time required for each session of dialysis, and how often you need dialysis, varies depending on the type and whether it’s being performed in a medical facility or the home. Your doctor can advise you on what type of dialysis will work best for you and how often it is needed.
When Dialysis Is Needed
Dialysis is necessary when the kidneys reach a certain point of failure, either temporarily or during end-stage renal failure. Patients generally need dialysis when they have lost at least 85% of normal kidney function.
In cases of acute kidney failure, the kidneys may improve after a short time, eliminating the need for dialysis.
During end-stage renal failure, the effect is lasting, and the kidneys have failed to the extent that either dialysis or a kidney transplant is necessary. Those who are reliant on dialysis typically live for up to 10 years and sometimes longer. Once you begin dialysis, your doctor can advise you on the next steps, including kidney transplantation.
