Q: What is dialysis?
A: Dialysis is a method of removing waste products and excess fluids from your body after your kidneys have failed. Kidney dialysis is an artificial process that performs the two main functions of the kidneys:
1. Filtering waste from the blood; and
2. Balancing the body’s fluid levels.
Q: What are the types of dialysis available?
A: There are two types of dialysis:
1. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) and
2. Haemodialysis (HD)
Q: What is Haemodialysis (HD)?
A: Haemodialysis (HD) is a machine-assisted blood filtration method which removes waste and excess fluid from your blood in a dialyser (or artificial kidney) outside your body. It usually requires a doctor to surgically insert a short term tube into the femoral vein; or long term tube (dialysis catheter) into your blood stream via a vein in your neck or chest wall. A more permanent procedure involves a surgical procedure connecting the forearm vein to the artery. This is called a fistula and it takes about six weeks for it to mature and be ready for use. These access procedures allow blood to be diverted from your body, through the dialyser and back into your blood stream.
Q: What is peritoneal dialysis (PD)?
A: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) uses the peritoneum, a natural membrane lining the cavity of your abdomen. The membrane has tiny holes that allow waste products and fluid to filter from your blood. The process of waste removal, as in haemodialysis, is called diffusion. The removal of excess water, osmosis, is aided by another substance within the dialysis fluid, usually glucose.
Q: How many types of peritoneal dialysis are there?
A: There are two types of PD:
1. Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)
2. Automated peritoneal dialysis (APD).
Intermittent peritoneal dialysis can be done in emergencies and for the short-term pending insertion of more permanent Tenchkoff catheters.
PD allows one to be relatively independent and manage your own care at home. For now, it is not widely available in Nigeria.
Q: How does dialysis filter waste from the blood?
A:
· During dialysis, waste and excess water pass from the blood into a liquid called dialysate for removal from the body by a process called diffusion.
· A thin layer of natural tissue (in peritoneal dialysis) or of synthetic plastic (in haemodialysis), known as the dialysis membrane, keeps the blood separate from the dialysis fluid.
· Blood cells are too large to pass through the dialysis membrane, though waste and water can diffuse into the dialysis fluid.
· Wastes are then removed from the body by extracting the dialysis fluid.
Q: How does dialysis balance the body’s fluid levels?
A:
· In both Haemodialysis and Peritoneal dialysis, a process called ultrafiltration removes excess fluid.
· In haemodialysis, the fluid is simply drawn from the blood by the dialysis machine. The amount of water to be removed can be varied by changing the dialyser’s settings.
· In peritoneal dialysis a substance (most commonly glucose) is added to the blood to draw water out in a process called osmosis.
· Peritoneal dialysis solution containing a lot of glucose will draw out more fluid than a weaker solution.
Q: Will dialysis cure me?
A:
· Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are treatments that help replace the work your kidneys did.
· These treatments help you feel better and live longer, but they don’t cure kidney failure.
Q: How long can I be on dialysis?
A: You can be on dialysis for as long as it takes to get a kidney transplant or for the rest of your life.
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