How to Choose a Treatment For Kidney Failure
There are two treatments available for kidney failure.
The first option is dialysis and the second is kidney transplantation.
It is normal to have concern and fears regarding treatment options.
However making the right choice for your health and lifestyle benefit, is very important and should be done with what's best for the patient in mind.
Hemodialysis is a therapy used to remove waste and extra fluids from the patient's blood.
During the hemodialysis process, the blood is pumped through a soft tube into a dialysis machine that has a special filter called a dialyzer or artificial kidney.
Once the patient's blood is filtered it is returned back into your bloodstream.
Hemodialysis treatment is normally done approximately 3 times a week, with each treatment lasting about 3 to 5 hours.
In the course of this process very small amount of the patient's blood is out of the body at any given time.
To be connected to the dialysis machine you need to have permanent access, or an entrance to your blood stream.
This is done using minor surgery typically to an area on the arm.
A fistula is the suggested option for an access.
This is done by fusing an artery to a nearby vein underneath the skin to make a larger blood vessel.
This particular access is preferred because fewer issues arise and the fistula tends to last longer.
Hemodialysis can be done at home or in a dialysis center.
Peritoneal dialysis is a home-based treatment.
This treatment consists of your blood being cleaned inside of the body.
The lining of the abdomen (the peritoneum) acts as a natural filter.
A soft tube called a PD catheter is used with a cleansing solution called dialysate.
The catheter is placed in the abdomen during minor surgery.
This allows wastes and extra fluids to pass through the blood stream into the cleansing solution.
After several hours, the patient has to drain the used solution from the abdomen and refill it with fresh cleansing solution.
This process is called an "exchange" and the adding of fresh solution takes about a half hour.
The advantage of peritoneal dialysis is that it can be done at home, work school or even during travel.
Kidney transplantation is an operation done to replace the patients unhealthy kidney with healthy one provide by another person.
The kidney may come from someone deceased or from someone living.
A living donor can be a close relative, spouse or friend.
The healthy kidney is placed in the lower abdomen and is connected to the patent's bladder and blood vessels.
A kidney transplant operation can take 3 hours and your hospital stay will range from 5 to 7 days.
Once the transplant is complete the patient is put on specific medication to avert the body from rejecting the new kidney.
These medications will have to be taken the entire time the patient has the transplant.
Most patients prefer transplantation verses dialysis due to the freedom it provides.
A kidney transplant is not a cure, it is a treatment and all transplant recipients still have chronic kidney disease and may still need other medications they used prior to the transplant.
The first option is dialysis and the second is kidney transplantation.
It is normal to have concern and fears regarding treatment options.
However making the right choice for your health and lifestyle benefit, is very important and should be done with what's best for the patient in mind.
Hemodialysis is a therapy used to remove waste and extra fluids from the patient's blood.
During the hemodialysis process, the blood is pumped through a soft tube into a dialysis machine that has a special filter called a dialyzer or artificial kidney.
Once the patient's blood is filtered it is returned back into your bloodstream.
Hemodialysis treatment is normally done approximately 3 times a week, with each treatment lasting about 3 to 5 hours.
In the course of this process very small amount of the patient's blood is out of the body at any given time.
To be connected to the dialysis machine you need to have permanent access, or an entrance to your blood stream.
This is done using minor surgery typically to an area on the arm.
A fistula is the suggested option for an access.
This is done by fusing an artery to a nearby vein underneath the skin to make a larger blood vessel.
This particular access is preferred because fewer issues arise and the fistula tends to last longer.
Hemodialysis can be done at home or in a dialysis center.
Peritoneal dialysis is a home-based treatment.
This treatment consists of your blood being cleaned inside of the body.
The lining of the abdomen (the peritoneum) acts as a natural filter.
A soft tube called a PD catheter is used with a cleansing solution called dialysate.
The catheter is placed in the abdomen during minor surgery.
This allows wastes and extra fluids to pass through the blood stream into the cleansing solution.
After several hours, the patient has to drain the used solution from the abdomen and refill it with fresh cleansing solution.
This process is called an "exchange" and the adding of fresh solution takes about a half hour.
The advantage of peritoneal dialysis is that it can be done at home, work school or even during travel.
Kidney transplantation is an operation done to replace the patients unhealthy kidney with healthy one provide by another person.
The kidney may come from someone deceased or from someone living.
A living donor can be a close relative, spouse or friend.
The healthy kidney is placed in the lower abdomen and is connected to the patent's bladder and blood vessels.
A kidney transplant operation can take 3 hours and your hospital stay will range from 5 to 7 days.
Once the transplant is complete the patient is put on specific medication to avert the body from rejecting the new kidney.
These medications will have to be taken the entire time the patient has the transplant.
Most patients prefer transplantation verses dialysis due to the freedom it provides.
A kidney transplant is not a cure, it is a treatment and all transplant recipients still have chronic kidney disease and may still need other medications they used prior to the transplant.
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