The human body produces toxic substances every day. In a healthy person, the kidneys filter the toxins out of the body. This is a vital task, because otherwise the waste products (uric acid and creatinine) would gradually poison the person. Patients whose kidneys no longer function and who suffer from chronic or acute kidney disease need dialysis.
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Dialysis is a vital treatment method for patients whose kidneys are no longer working properly. Dialysis is better known as blood washing.
Dialysis removes toxic substances from the blood that are dangerous to the body above a certain concentration. This treatment is very complex. For this reason, special dialysis centers carry out dialysis. Home dialysis is also possible.
There are three forms of dialysis in total:
The three procedures are similar: The dialyzer filters the blood that has been removed from the body. The filtered blood is then returned to the body.
Which method is ultimately used depends on the symptoms.
If the patient suffers from chronic or acute renal insufficiency, dialysis is a life-sustaining measure.
Without healthy kidneys, the body would gradually poison itself. Dialysis is also life-sustaining for patients who are waiting for a donor kidney and kidney transplant.
Dialysis is not only used for patients with damaged kidneys. The filtering properties are also helpful in cases of poisoning (medication). Here too, dialysis is life-saving.
Diagnoses that make dialysis necessary:
Extensive examinations are carried out before dialysis:
The dialysis shunt is a surgical procedure that should be carried out around six to eight weeks in advance. The shunt is a cross-connection between an artery and a vein. This is necessary because a vein would not tolerate being punctured several times a week.
Doctors can place the dialysis shunt in many places. However, doctors usually place it in the area of the forearm.
During dialysis itself, the patient sits at the dialysis machine. Blood is taken from the body, purified/filtered by the dialyzer and then returned.
As a rule, no more than 600 milliliters of blood are dialyzed per hour. The duration of dialysis varies. On average, there are three units per week, each lasting four to eight hours.
Nowadays, however, there are also continuous hemodialysis units that allow blood to be washed for around two hours a day.
From User:YassineMrabet, User:Cjesch - Hemodialysis-en.svg, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21928753
Like so many treatment methods, dialysis can also cause discomfort:
Nutrition plays a very important role for dialysis patients. It is important to adapt the nutritional plans to the patient's individual state of health. A dialysis team draws up nutrition plans for the patient. These can change again and again.
