What does dialysis do?

Dialysis helps to keep your body in balance. Dialysis does the following
Removes waste, salt and extra water to prevent them from building up in the body Keeps a safe level of certain chemicals in your blood, such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate Helps to control blood pressure

What are the symptoms of kidney (renal) failure?

Kidney failure happens gradually. Following are the symptoms of kidney failure one may experience:

• Tiredness
• Frequent need to urinate, especially at night
• Itchy skin
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath
• Water retention (swollen feet, hands, ankles)
• Blood in urine
• Protein in urine

Are there different types of dialysis?

Yes, there are 2 types of Dialysis:

• Hemodialysis
• Peritoneal Dialysis

What is hemodialysis?

In hemodialysis, an artificial kidney known as a hemodialyzer is used to remove waste and extra chemicals and fluid from your blood. To get your blood into the artificial kidney, the doctor needs to make access to your blood vessels. This is done by minor surgery to your arm or leg.

Sometimes, access is made by joining an artery to a vein under your skin to make a bigger blood vessel called fistula.

What is peritoneal dialysis?

In this type of dialysis, your blood is cleaned inside your body. The doctor will do surgery to place a plastic tube called a catheter into your abdomen to make an access. During the treatment, your abdominal area known as the peritoneal cavity is slowly filled with dialysate through the catheter. The blood stays in the arteries and veins that line your peritoneal cavity. Extra fluid and waste products are drawn out of your blood and into the dialysate. There are 2 major kinds of peritoneal dialysis.