How To Prepare Dialysis

Patients with end-stage renal disease(ESRD) may be offered by doctors to do kidney dialysis to live longer. Kidney dialysis is treatment which may help you live longer. Dialysis uses a special machine to filter wastes, fluid and toxins out of your body. And then it can make the blood to a normal, healthy balance. Dialysis plays the role of kidney’s important functions.

There are different types of kidney dialysis including hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

What is hemodialysis and how to prepare it?

During hemodialysis, your body will be connected to a machine which will filter the blood. Before the first session, your doctor needs to find an access to one of your vessels. With this method, your body will be connected with the filtering machine. This access is called a vascular entrance which is a place on your body where blood can be removed and then returned. The entrance can be done through the following methods:

Connect an artery to a vein to form a large blood vessel area which is called fistula.

Put the artery and vein together using a soft plastic tube.

Put a thin plastic tube into a large vein in your neck or groin area of the leg.

There is temporary and permanent access. However, which one is fit for you depends on your own condition. Doctors may recommend an access weeks or months before your first dialysis session so as to heal properly before using it.

The hemodialysis makes your blood flow slowly through a special filter inside the machine. The filter removes wastes and excess fluid from your body, but maintains the balance of minerals like potassium and calcium and so on. When your blood is cleaned, your blood will be returned back.

What is peritoneal dialysis and how to prepare it?

Peritoneal dialysis cleans your blood using your abdomen area as a filter. You can do peritoneal dialysis while you sleep or work.

Before your first peritoneal dialysis, the doctor also needs an access to your abdomen area. The doctor may make a small cut in your side of belly button. A plastic tube called catheter is put into the area around the stomach and nearby organs through this access.

And a peritoneal dialysis includes three steps:

Fill: The dialysis solution flows through the catheter into your belly.

Dwell: The waste products and excess fluid in your blood pass through the thin tissue connecting peritoneal cavity and are pulled into the dialysis solution.

Drain: The wastes and fluid are excreted from your body when you drain dialysis solution.

Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are just life-support treatment of ESRD and not a cure treatment. You should discuss with your doctor about which one is suitable for you or you can consult our online doctor directly.