Kidney Dialysis

People suffering from severe acute or chronic renal failure are incapable of ridding their bodies of waste properly. The accumulation of waste products causes them to feel sick. An artificial means is necessary to siphon toxic material from the bloodstream. For some patients, the best solution is haemodialysis.

Purifying the blood by disposing of the waste that it's carrying using an artificial kidney or dialysis machine is called haemodialysis. During this process, the patient's blood is guided through a tube to membranes on the interior of the artificial kidney. These membranes are porous, allowing harmful substances and water to seep through into a transparent liquid called dialysate. This is then fed through the artificial kidney and down a drain. Clean blood is then transported back to the person's body for recirculation. Since only a tiny portion of the blood supply can leave the body at a given moment, four or five hours are required to complete the procedure. This must be done three times per week to be safe.

Complications

Even though there is no pain associated with dialysis, some people will feel sick. Others may notice a significant amount of weight gain in between dialysis as a result of fluid retention; this fluid must be drained during dialysis. If the fluid is removed to rapidly, the patient's blood pressure will plummet, and they will feel lightheaded. This is even more noticeable in people with heart conditions.

Someone undergoing kidney dialysis must watch what they eat. Foods containing potassium and phosphate must be kept to a minimum, and fluids are off limits.

Even though haemodialysis cleans the blood, it does not function as efficiently as two working kidneys. In turn, dialysis patients will suffer from many of the same ailments as someone with kidney failure. These include anemia, bone pain, fluid buildup, and high blood pressure. They are also more prone to infection, and older patients are more likely to experience a heart attack or stroke. Anyone who has been on dialysis for at least 15 years may run in to joint problems. Anemic dialysis patients may now be treated with an injectable drug called erythropoietin.

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