Hemodialysis
Hemodialysis is a life-saving treatment for people with kidney failure, which helps your body remove extra fluid and waste products from your blood when the kidneys are not able to.
USES :Dialysis is helpful for two different situations:
- Acute kidney injury (AKI): a sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage that happens within a few hours or days. AKI is usually treated in a hospital setting. In severe cases, dialysis may be needed for a short time until the kidneys get better.
- Kidney failure end-stage kidney disease (ESKD): when 10%-15% of your kidney function remains, measured by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of less than 15 mL/minhemodialysis is a life-saving treatment.
How it works
A hemodialysis machine works as an artificial kidney by:
- Removing waste and extra fluids in your body to prevent them from building up in the body
- Keeping safe levels of minerals in your blood, such as potassium, sodium, calcium, and bicarbonate.
- Helping to regulate your blood pressure.
The machine has a special dialyzer filter to clean your blood. Inside the dialyzer or filter, there are two sides—one for blood and the other for dialysate fluid. A thin film, called a membrane, separates these two sides.
Blood cells, proteins, and types of cells remain in your blood because they are too big to pass through the membrane. Smaller waste products, such as urea and creatinine, and extra fluid, move from your blood through the membrane and are removed.
