What is Dialysis?

Dialysis is a process to filter the blood when the kidneys can’t. However how does it replace what the kidneys do and exactly what does it involve? And why do we even need kidneys or an artificial substitute in the first place?

Chemical reactions that take place during cellular activity produce waste products which move through the blood into the kidneys where they are turned into urine. That then moves through the ureters down to the bladder and out the urethra.

If they were to remained in the blood damaging effects would occur, a condition known as uremia. Symptoms include:

• severe muscle cramps.
• nausea.
• skin discoloration.

At the same time, the kidneys also help:

• balance electrolytes.
• drain excess fluid.
• regulate blood pressure.

All of which are vital activities to keep the human body in equilibrium.

If for some reason the kidneys are unable to perform these functions, a replacement is necessary and dialysis is one traditional and effective method.

Types of Dialysis.

There are actually two types of dialysis:

• hemodialysis.
• peritoneal.

Both are very different from each other. Let’s have a look at them.

Hemodialysis.

Hemodialysis is a process that uses a dialysis machine to eliminate waste products from the blood and return filtered blood back to the patient. That is all done through a special insert which is called an access point that is surgically prepared in advance.

The entry point might be a simple catheter in the case of emergency hemodialysis, often inserted in a vein in the neck or groin. Or it might be a more long-term arrangement produced surgically where an artery and vein are artificially joined.

Then something called the arteriovenous (AV) fistula is used to insert the pair of needles used for removal and replacement of blood.

Then the dialysis machine is connected and the patient’s blood is filtered, usually 3 times per week for 3-4 hours per session.

The procedure has two stages.

Stage One – In the first stage, waste products move through a semi-permeable membrane.

Stage Two – In the second, filtered blood is returned through another tube.
This procedure often takes place in a central location that is staffed by professionals.

However as machines grew smaller and less expensive, home dialysis has become somewhat more common over the years.

Peritoneal Dialysis.

Peritoneal dialysis is a very different process and is much more likely to be performed at home by the patient and possibly an assistant. With this process, a sterile tube is inserted in the peritoneal cavity near the large intestine.

Then a solution is injected into the abdominal cavity and the tissues there carry out a filtering role like the semi-permeable membrane described above.

Although this procedure is more convenient because it is executed in the patient’s home, it must be preformed 4-5 times per day or by an automated system at night. And it also carries a somewhat higher risk of infection, mainly because most patients are less skilled than professionals in antisepsis.

In the past, once dialysis became necessary it was more often than not a lifetime commitment, today however thanks to kidney transplants and other permanent solutions it is more often temporary. Although ‘temporary’ can mean several months or years.

~ To your health and well-being.
Healthy Nutritional Products.

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