Renal Dialysis Machine Treatment

Renal dialysis, or kidney dialysis, uses a hemodialysis machine to treat patients with kidney failure. Dialysis is performed on a patient's blood to remove wastes, fluids and salts, and return the purified blood back into the patient's bloodstream.

Reasons

• According to the Mayo Clinic, individuals with diabetes, hypertension and other medical conditions can develop kidney damage that results in a dangerous build-up of toxins in a patient's body. Patients with kidney failure may live much longer lives because of dialysis treatment.

Risks

• Kidney dialysis patients can develop low blood pressure, muscle cramps or itchy skin.

Preparation

• Doctors prepare their patients for planned dialysis treatment by performing a surgical procedure to provide easy access to an artery and a vein that will be connected to a dialysis machine.

Procedure

• Kidney dialysis may be performed in a dialysis center, in a hospital or in a patient's home and patients may read, watch television or sleep during the procedure. Dialysis lasts for several hours and may be performed three times a week or every day in accordance with a doctor's instructions.

Results

• Patients will have their blood tested at regular intervals to monitor the benefits of kidney dialysis. A patient's dialysis schedule may be adjusted and he may need to follow a special diet to ensure that proper levels of fluids and nutrients are consumed.