The kidneys work to purify the blood by eliminating waste and excess fluid from the body. If the kidneys fail to properly work, dialysis is used for performing the kidney’s function. This treatment option filters and purifies the blood with the use of a machine. This helps in keeping the body in balance if the kidneys cannot perform their job. The procedure has been used for treating those who have kidney issues since the 1940s.
Reason for Using Dialysis
Kidneys that function properly prevent the accumulation of waste, extra water, and other body impurities. Also, they help in controlling blood pressure and regulating chemical levels in the body like salt, potassium, and sodium. They even activate a kind of vitamin D which enhances calcium absorption.
If the kidneys cannot do their functions because of an injury or disorder, dialysis can help in keeping the body running normally. Without dialysis, waste products like salts will accumulate in the blood and poison the body. But, it is important to understand that the dialysis is not a cure for kidney issues. People who have kidney-related problems may need various treatments.
How Dialysis Works
Dialysis serves as an artificial method to clean the body.
- Hemodialysis. This kind of dialysis makes use of an artificial kidney called hemodialyzer for eliminating chemicals and wastes from the blood. In order to get the blood flow to this kidney, a physician will make a vascular access through surgery into the blood vessels. Such access will enable the flow of a huge amount of blood through the body during the treatment. Hemodialysis allows filtration and purification of more blood. Often, the procedure lasts for 3-5 hours. Typically, the treatment is needed 3 times every week. But, hemodialysis can also be carried out in shorter, more frequent sessions. The majority of hemodialysis is performed at a hospital, dialysis center, or doctor’s office. The length of treatment depends on the patient’s body size and the amount of body waste. If you need medical transportation in Page Road Durham North Carolina to get to your dialysis treatment, you can depend on Wisdom Care Transportation.
- Peritoneal Dialysis. This kind of dialysis includes surgery to implant a catheter into the patient’s belly area. During the treatment, the fluid dialysate will flow into the abdomen. The fluid will draw body waste out of the bloodstream which will then be drained from the abdomen.There are many kinds of peritoneal dialysis; however, the main ones are continuous cycler-assisted peritoneal dialysis and ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Continuous cycler-assisted peritoneal dialysis makes use of a machine for cycling the fluid in and out of the abdomen. Often, it is performed at night while the patient is sleeping. Meanwhile, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis involves filling and draining the abdomen many times every day.Patients can do peritoneal dialysis at their home. They will get training on how to do the steps for treatment.
Risks of Dialysis
Although both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis can save a patient’s life, they can have some risks. Hemodialysis has unique risks such as difficulty sleeping, low blood pressure, itching, anemia, high blood potassium levels, muscle cramping, pericarditis, and depression. Peritoneal dialysis has risks for infections in or around the abdominal cavity’s catheter site. Other risks include high blood sugar because of the dextrose in the dialysate, abdominal muscle weakening, and weight gain.
If a patient continues to experience such symptoms while on either type of dialysis, he must inform the healthcare provider who does the treatment. Also, people who undertake long-term dialysis treatments are at risk of developing other medical conditions that include amyloidosis.
Such disorder can arise if amyloid proteins produced in bone marrow will build up in body organs such as the heart, liver, or kidneys. Often, this causes joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. In addition, a number of people are likely to develop depression following a long-term kidney failure diagnosis. Patients with thoughts of committing suicide or harming themselves must seek medical help right away.
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