What is Dialysis Procedure?
People whose kidneys have either failed or gotten damaged due to various factors like an underlying disease –cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or blood pressure – or blockage of blood supply. This, in turn, has affected the functioning of the kidney and made it difficult for it to filter the blood and remove excess toxins and minerals from the blood. For such people, medicine has developed a procedure that aids the kidney, known as dialysis treatment.
The dialysis procedure relieves the kidney of its natural functions and lets it heals; this is also known as Renal Replacement Therapy or RRT. However, a dialysis procedure cannot entirely replace the kidney’s function, as the kidney doesn’t just filter the blood; it also produces important products for metabolism, which a dialysis procedure cannot replicate.
Not everyone with a damaged kidney is a dialysis procedure candidate; however, a person whose kidney is functioning at ten to fifteen percent only is a likely candidate for it.
Why Dialysis?
An average person’s kidney can strain 120 to 150 quarts of blood daily. And if your kidney fails to do so, your blood can build up waster, then can lead to a coma or even death. The reason behind your kidney not functioning well enough can be either chronic, that is, long-term, or acute, that is short-term.
Chronic kidney failure can be caused due to high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases. In contrast, acute kidney failure can be caused by an injury or a short-term disease affecting the kidneys.
The dialysis procedure filters out your blood, relieving the kidney to let it heal and removing toxins and drugs from your body before it reaches a lethal level.
Types of Dialysis
There are several different dialysis procedures, of which three main types of dialysis are discussed below.
Intermittent Hemodialysis
The hemodialysis procedure brings out the blood from your body using a flexible tube called a catheter. This tube is inserted into the veins of the dialysis patient. Like the kidneys, a special filter filters the blood, removing all toxins and excess minerals. Next, the filtered blood is then sent back to the body using another catheter. This dialysis procedure works as a substitute for the kidney.
Hemodialysis patients need particular surgery to expand a blood vessel to allow the catheters to insert into the body. Usually, patients get this surgery done in their arms.
The hemodialysis procedure is generally performed a week thrice and takes up to three to four hours a day; however, this depends on how well your kidneys perform and how much fluid has your body accumulates between two dialyzes’.
This type of dialysis can be performed either at a dialysis treatment center, a hospital, or at home. However, to perform this procedure at home, there are certain conditions
- You will have to be accurate about how to perform the process
- You must be in a stable condition and respond well to the dialysis procedure
- Must not contract other diseases
- Enlarged blood vessels for catheter insertion
- Caregiver or dialysis technician willing to facilitate you at home
- A suitable environment at home
However, it would be best if you could get your dialysis procedure performed at a special facility under properly trained supervision.
Peritoneal Dialysis
The second type of dialysis procedure is Peritoneal Dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis works differently than hemodialysis.
The peritoneal dialysis procedure follows a sterile dialysate solution rich in glucose and minerals. This solution runs through a tube to the peritoneal cavity. The intestine is surrounded by this cavity, part of the abdominal cavity.
Using the natural filterability of the peritoneum, which is the innermost covering of the abdomen, peritoneal dialysis filters your blood. The sterile dialysate solution is left behind in the peritoneal cavity so that it can absorb waste and toxins from the blood, which is then discarded using a tube.
This procedure is performed repeatedly during the day and can be done even overnight with the help of an automated system. The process of osmosis aids in the removal of excess water and toxins, as the dialysis procedure solution contains a glucose-rich concentration that forms the osmotic pressure. This pressure forces the fluid to shift to the dialysate solution from the blood. That results in a more significant amount of fluids being drained than introduced.
In contrast to hemodialysis, the peritoneal dialysis procedure is less efficient, as it takes more time to perform the same actions. However, the peritoneal dialysis procedure gives the patient more autonomy and freedom because it’s easy to perform at home and requires lesser specialized equipment.
Like hemodialysis, a peritoneal dialysis patient also requires surgery for blood vessel expansion to insert the catheter, but this time inside the abdomen, which is kept closed chiefly, except during the dialysis procedure.
There are further two more types of peritoneal dialysis procedures.
- Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis – this repeated process can be conducted without any machinery that the patient or a caregiver can perform. The dialysate solution is left in the body for up to eight hours; after that, it is replaced.
- Automated or Continuous Cyclic Peritoneal Dialysis – this process requires a specialized machine and is generally performed during the night to allow the patient uninterrupted sleep. It takes ten to twelve hours for each session to complete.
This type of dialysis procedure is most suitable for patients who require autonomy and freedom and find hemodialysis too tiring. This is the best solution for people who travel a lot, go to school, or work, as it doesn’t require you to reach out to a dialysis center periodically.
Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy or CRRT
Dialyzes’ can be either continuous or performed in intervals. While the former two types are intermittent sessions that may last up to six hours, continuous renal replacement therapy is carried out 24/7; this therapy is generally performed for intensive care patients.
CRRT has a few different types that either involve diffusion or filtration. Since this is a 24-hour process, the excess toxins and fluid are removed at a relatively lower speed, reducing complications like hypertension.
Temporary Dialysis
Furthermore, the dialysis procedure may be temporary at times too. But in what cases is a dialysis procedure temporary?
- An acute kidney failure
- Drug or toxin overdose
- Traumatic injury affecting the kidney
- Chronic heart disease
Patients suffering from the conditions mentioned above may benefit from temporary dialysis. Allowing the kidney to heal while providing it relief.
What are the Risks Involved in a Dialysis Procedure?
The dialysis procedure involves a couple of risks as well.
- Hypotension
- Nausea or Vomiting
- Headache
- Muscle Cramps
- Backache
- Fevers and Chills
- Chest Pain
- Itchiness
- Low blood pressure, most likely in diabetic patients
- Insomnia, or sleeping problems, like restless legs, shortness in breathing, or apnea
- Fluid overdose
- Depression and mood swings
- Infections or inflammation at the dialysis site
Kidney disease is a situation that one must not take lightly. While chronic kidney failure patients may not recover unless a transplant is performed, dialysis can increase life expectancy for up to thirty years or more while increasing wellbeing.
You might want to get tested by your doctor to diagnose your kidney disease and may prescribe a few tests like diagnostic imaging, MRI scan, MRI imaging, which can be efficiently conducted at places offering CT scan services in NJ like Perth Amboy diagnostic imaging, a professional diagnostic imaging network. You must discuss and evaluate the risks and side effects with your doctor before proceeding with the treatment plan.