Dialysis

We all know how important the kidneys are for the body right? But what happens when the kidneys cannot function on their own? This is where dialysis comes into the picture. When the kidneys cannot perform the functions to sustain the body, dialysis, which is a treatment that takes care of these functions, is used. We have already established the fact that dialysis takes over the functions on the healthy kidneys and helps to sustain the body, but what all does dialysis do?

• Dialysis helps in the removal of waste, salt and excess water from the body.
• Dialysis helps in maintaining a safe level of chemicals in the body and blood stream such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate.
• Dialysis also helps in regulating blood pressure levels of the body.

Dialysis is not necessarily permanent; this depends on the kind of kidney trouble. If the kidney failure is acute, it will get better with treatment and dialysis will be temporary in that case. But in the case that kidney damage is chronic and permanent and dialysis could be required for the rest of the person’s life. Depending on the type of dialysis, it can either be done at a hospital or at home.

Different Types of Dialysis
There are two basic types of Dialysis – hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

Hemodialysis is the kind of dialysis where an artificial kidney called the hemodialyzer is used. This hemodialyzer helps in flushing out waste, chemicals and excess fluids from the body. The way this type of treatment works is when blood is sent to the artificial kidney, this is done by a doctor by way of a minor surgery in the arm or leg to make an entrance to the blood vessels. In some cases the doctors may need to connect then an artery to a vein to make a larger blood vessel, this is called a fistula. If a fistula is not manageable then a plastic tube may be used called a graft. There are times when the access is made through a plastic tube inserted into a large vein, this is called a catheter. Each dialysis treatment time may vary and depend on a number of things, like working condition of kidneys, waste in the body, size of the person, and type of artificial kidney. On an average one session of hemodialysis lasts for about four hours and can be done thrice a week.

Peritoneal Dialysis is the type of dialysis that helps in the purification of blood in the body. The doctors will need to a do a minor surgery and insert a catheter in the abdomen to make an access. During the process of dialysis, the abdominal region is filled with dialysate by means of the catheter, the clean blood is left in the body and the waste and excess fluids are drawn out into the dialysate. There are two main types of Peritoneal Dialysis; these are the Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) or the Continuous Cycling Peritoneal Dialysis (CCPD). In the case of CAPD, it is the only form of dialysis that does not require the use of machines. A person can do this type of dialysis at home and it is a fairly simple method. All that needs to be done is the bag of dialysate is attached to the catheter in the abdominal cavity and five hours later it is discarded after the waste and excess fluid are drained out. In the case of CCPD, this can also be done at home but it requires a machine called a cycler. This cycler helps in the exchange of body fluids and dialysate and each cycle lasts for almost 2 hours.

Dialysis may cause some initial discomfort but overall is a painless treatment. There are side effects like nausea, vomiting, headaches and cramps but these occur when the blood pressure drops. Remember that while dialysis is an essential treatment for the normal functioning of the human body, it will in no case cure a kidney disease.