Kidney diseases have been on an upward trend recently, increasing fatalities in most adults with kidney diseases. 

Kidney failure is when your kidneys don’t work as efficiently as they should. One way to treat kidney failure is kidney transplantation. Even though the number of organ donors has doubled in the last two decades, more than one lakh people are still waiting for a transplant on the national kidney transplant list. 

Dialysis is another treatment that can help many older people with kidney failure. Several studies have shown that dialysis has helped people live better lives.

What is referred to as dialysis?

The function of dialysis is that it helps the body get rid of extra fluid and waste when your kidneys can’t do it on their own. Dialysis was first used successfully in the 1940s. By the 1970s, it had become the standard way to treat kidney failure. Since then, these treatments have helped a very large number of people.

What is the major function of kidneys?

Your urinary system includes the kidneys. These two bean-shaped organs are below the ribcage on each side of your spine. They remove toxins from the blood and return filtered, nutrient-rich blood. 

Urine is made from waste and extra water. From the kidneys, it goes to the bladder. Your bladder pressure is also kept in check by your kidneys. If you are experiencing any signs of kidney disease, book an appointment with a kidney specialist in Coimbatore for an early diagnosis.

What are the major types of kidney dialysis?

Two major types of kidney dialysis procedures include,

Hemodialysis:

Hemodialysis is a machine that takes blood out of the body, runs it through an artificial kidney called a dialyzer and then puts the clean blood back into the body. This process can happen thrice a week in a hospital or dialysis center and takes 3 to 5 hours each time.

What are the steps involved before undergoing hemodialysis?

Before your hemodialysis, you will have a small surgery to make it easier to get your bloodstream, and you might have,

Arteriovenous graft:

If the vein and artery are too short to connect, the doctor will use a graft, a soft tube with a hole, to connect them. 

Arteriovenous fistula:

A surgeon joins an artery and vein in the arm. 

AV grafts and fistulas make the artery and vein connected bigger, making it easier to get to dialysis. They also make it easier for blood to move in and out of your body.

What are the steps involved in hemodialysis?

When hemodialysis is being done, the dialysis machine,

• Blood is taken out of an arm needle.
• Blood is pumped through the dialyzer filter, which shifts waste into a dialysis solution. This cleaner is made of water, salt, and other things. 
• Through a different needle in the arm, it sends the blood that has been cleaned back to your body. 
• Check your blood pressure and change how fast your blood moves in and out of the body based on what it finds. 

Peritoneal dialysis:

With peritoneal dialysis, tiny blood vessels in the lining of the abdomen (called the peritoneum) help; a dialysis solution is a liquid cleaner made of water, salt, and other things. 

There are two types of this type of peritoneal dialysis:

• Automated peritoneal dialysis
• Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis 

What is involved before the peritoneal dialysis?

About three weeks before you start peritoneal dialysis, a small surgery will be done. The doctor puts a soft, thin tube through the belly and into the peritoneal cavity. This catheter stays there for good. 

A doctor will show you how to treat peritoneal kidney dialysis at home and keep the catheter site from getting infected. 

What happens during the peritoneal dialysis procedure?

When you undergo peritoneal dialysis,

• Connect the catheter to one of the tubes in a Y shape. This tube goes to a bag with dialysis solution in it. The solution enters the peritoneal cavity via the catheter.
• After about 10 minutes, when the bag is empty, take the tube and catheter apart. 
• Put the end on the catheter.
• This procedure can take sixty to ninety minutes.
• Repeat this procedure up to four times per day. 

In what situations is dialysis helpful?

Acute kidney injury:

Kidney failure or damage happens all of a sudden and happens in a few hours or days. Usually, intravenous fluids are used in a hospital to treat AKI. In severe cases, the kidneys may also need kidney dialysis treatment for a short time until they get better.

Kidney failure:

When an estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 15 mL/min shows that 10-15% of the kidney function is only present. At this point, your kidneys are not enough to keep the blood-filtering process going. With this condition, dialysis may help the blood filter. 

How does the dialysis procedure help improve kidney function?

Dialysis is an effective way to eliminate waste products and extra fluids in the blood. But it doesn’t do everything a kidney does, so it isn’t thought of as a cure for kidney disease or kidney failure. 

All types of dialysis work well, but depending on your health and personal preference, one treatment may fit you better. The types of treatment you may be recommended will depend on your condition and the doctor. Visit the best nephrologist in Coimbatore if you have any kidney-related concerns.

Here are five tips that help in improving the effectiveness of dialysis:

• Get a customized dialysis meal plan from your doctor.
• Try to stay as active as possible.
• Ensure to complete the course of treatment recommended by your doctor.
• If you’re uncomfortable during or after the procedure, communicate with your doctor.
• If you are taking any medications, speak to your doctor about them.

Important Takeaway:

Many people assume that dialysis is a permanent cure for kidney-related diseases. But dialysis is only a treatment option that helps filter the blood only when used as recommended. When effectively used, dialysis improves a patient’s life by up to 10 to 20 years. You can stop undergoing dialysis only when the kidney disease is cured, and the kidney function is normal or when you undergo kidney transplantation.