Dialysis is used to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood in patients whose kidneys don’t work properly – a condition known as end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).
Healthy kidneys filter the blood and remove waste products by turning them into urine. When a patient has advanced kidney disease, this process does not occur and they are likely to become very ill.
Haemodialysis patients are restricted on how much fluid they can drink in between dialysis sessions. This is because the dialysis machine won’t be able to remove all the waste product if there’s too much fluid in the body.
Haemodialysis patients also need to watch their food intake, so minerals like sodium, potassium and phosphorus don’t build up to dangerously high levels between dialysis sessions.
Most patients require a dialysis session three times a week. Each session lasts for approximately four hours.
Haemodialysis patients may experience fatigue, nausea, dizziness, itchy skin and/or muscle cramps.
Some patients only need dialysis for a short time if they have temporary kidney failure.
If your kidney failure is chronic (i.e. end-stage kidney disease), you will likely need dialysis permanently unless you have a kidney transplant.
Cromwell Hospital
164-178 Cromwell Road
London SW5 0TU
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7460 5700