Hemodialysis

- Hemodialysis is a treatment to filter wastes and water from your blood, as your kidneys did when
they were healthy. Hemodialysis helps control blood pressure and balance important minerals,
such as potassium, sodium, and calcium, in your blood.

 Where it is done: At home or a hospital.

 How often it is done: 3 to 5 times a week.

 Complexity of the procedure:

The dialysis machine (dialyzer) requires a vascular access which is basically a pair of artery and vein
through which the blood in the body is pulled out of the body and in to the machine, cleaned using special
filters and then cycled back to the body. Initially access is achieved by placing a temporary catheter in
central veins, usually in the neck. Later a surgery is done to create a fistula in the forearm.

 Ability to work: During the entire duration of the dialysis, the patient is either sitting or lying on
bed and cannot perform any other activities. Rest of the days, they are free to work.
 Side effects of the procedure: Fatigue, low blood pressure.
 Diet Restrictions: Salt and water intake are mainly restricted along with certain other food items
which have high potassium and phosphorous.

Peritoneal Dialysis
- Peritoneal dialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that uses the lining of your abdomen, or
belly, to filter your blood inside your body. Health care providers call this lining the peritoneum.
A few weeks before you start peritoneal dialysis, a surgeon places a soft tube, called a catheter,
in your belly.

 Where it is done: At home

 How often it is done: Daily, 4 to 6 times per day or in the night.

 Duration of the procedure: 3 to 5 hours per day in total

 Complexity of the procedure:

Using laparoscopic surgery, a peritoneal catheter is inserted into the lining of the abdominal wall
(peritoneum), which provides an access to the abdominal cavity. The patient can use this access 2 weeks
after it has been created.

On a daily basis, the patient must fill the abdominal cavity with a special fluid (dialysate filter), through
this access point. The fluid cleans the blood through the internal walls of the abdomen and then drains
into a collection bag which the patient or a caretaker must empty out.
 Ability to work: This procedure can be done at night, which means, the patient can perform
his/her normal activities during the day. The person can even travel, as long as he/she is able to
perform this procedure on his/her own, in a clean place.
 Side effects of the procedure: Risk of infection of the Catheter(or) abdomen and limitation of
membrane function.
 Restrictions: There are fewer restrictions to diet with this procedure compared to hemodialysis.