Dialysis

Summary

When your kidneys are healthy, they clean your blood. They also make hormones that keep
your bones strong and your blood healthy. When your kidneys fail, you need treatment to
replace the work your kidneys used to do. Unless you have a kidney transplant, you will need a treatment called dialysis.

There are two main types of dialysis. Both types filter your blood to rid your body of harmful wastes, extra salt, and water.:

• Hemodialysis uses a machine. It is sometimes called an artificial kidney. You usually go to a special clinic for treatments several times a week.
• Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of your abdomen, called the peritoneal membrane, to filter your blood.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Related Issues

• Amyloidosis and Kidney Disease National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Checklist to Help You Choose a Dialysis Facility Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Dialysis Safety: Be a Safe Patient Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Emergency Meal Planning for Diabetics National Kidney Foundation
• Exercise: A Guide for People on Dialysis Life Options Rehabilitation Program
• Filtering Dialysis Myths from Facts National Kidney Foundation
• Hemodialysis Catheters: How to Keep Yours Working Well National Kidney Foundation
• Just the Facts: Skin and Hair Problems on Dialysis Life Options Rehabilitation Program
• Just the Facts: Vascular Access Life Options Rehabilitation Program
• Kidney Dialysis: When Is It Time to Stop? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Mineral and Bone Disorder in Chronic Kidney Disease National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Planning for Emergencies: A Guide for People with Chronic Kidney Disease National Kidney Foundation
• Six Tips to Prevent Dialysis Infections Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Travel Tips: A Guide for Kidney Patients National Kidney Foundation

Patient Handouts

• Central venous catheter – dressing change Medical Encyclopedia
• Central venous catheter – flushing Medical Encyclopedia
• Central venous catheters – ports Medical Encyclopedia
• Dialysis – hemodialysis Medical Encyclopedia
• Dialysis – peritoneal Medical Encyclopedia
• Dialysis centers – what to expect Medical Encyclopedia
• Hemodialysis access — self care Medical Encyclopedia
• Hemodialysis access procedures Medical Encyclopedia
• Taking care of your vascular access for hemodialysis Medical Encyclopedia

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Dialysis National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Peritoneal Dialysis National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Renal Dialysis National Institutes of Health

Living With

• Creatinine Test National Library of Medicine
• Dietary Guidelines for Adults Starting on Hemodialysis National Kidney Foundation
• Eating and Nutrition for Hemodialysis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Dialysis (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
• Hemodialysis (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
• How Do Health Care Professionals Treat Kidney Failure in Children? National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Peritoneal Dialysis (For Parents) Nemours Foundation

Specifics

• Dialysis: Deciding to Stop National Kidney Foundation
• Home Hemodialysis National Kidney Foundation

Find an Expert

• Find a Dialysis Facility Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Medicare: Find and Compare Health Care Providers Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• National Kidney Foundation National Kidney Foundation

Start Here

• Hemodialysis National Kidney Foundation
• Peritoneal Dialysis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Hemodialysis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Peritoneal Dialysis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Encyclopedia

• Peritonitis – secondary Medical Encyclopedia
• Peritonitis – spontaneous bacterial Medical Encyclopedia

Journal Articles

• Dialysis

Reference Desk

• Your Kidneys and How They Work National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases