Kidney Failure: Choosing a Treatment That’s Right for YouOn this page: IntroductionYour kidneys filter wastes from your blood and regulate other functions of your body. When your kidneys fail, you need treatment to replace the work your kidneys normally perform. Developing kidney failure means you have some decisions to make about your treatment. You may choose to forgo treatment. If you choose to receive treatment, your choices include hemodialysis, which requires a machine used to filter your blood outside your body; peritoneal dialysis, which uses the lining of your belly to filter your blood inside the body; and kidney transplantation, in which a new kidney is placed in your body. Each treatment has advantages and disadvantages. Your choice of treatment will have a big impact on your day-to-day lifestyle, such as being able to keep a job if you are working. You are the only one who can decide what means most to you. Reading this information is a good way to learn about your options so you can make an informed choice. And, if you find that your choice is not a good fit for your life, you can change treatments. With the help of your health care team, family, and friends, you can lead a full, active life. When Your Kidneys FailHealthy kidneys clean your blood by removing excess fluid, minerals, and wastes. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy. When your kidneys fail, harmful wastes build up in your body, your blood pressure may rise, and your body may retain excess fluid and not make enough red blood cells. When this happens, you need treatment to replace the work of your failed kidneys. Treatment Choice: HemodialysisPurposeHemodialysis cleans and filters your blood using a machine to temporarily rid your body of harmful wastes, extra salt, and extra water. Hemodialysis helps control blood pressure and helps your body keep the proper balance of important chemicals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, and bicarbonate. Dialysis can replace part of the function of your kidneys. Diet, medications, and fluid limits are often needed as well. Your diet, fluids, and the number of medications you need will depend on which treatment you choose. How Hemodialysis WorksHemodialysis uses a special filter called a dialyzer that functions as an artificial kidney to clean your blood. The dialyzer is a canister connected to the hemodialysis machine. 
Hemodialysis.
During treatment, your blood travels through tubes into the dialyzer, which filters out wastes, extra salt, and extra water. Then the cleaned blood flows through another set of tubes back into your body. The hemodialysis machine monitors blood flow and removes wastes from the dialyzer. Hemodialysis is usually done three times a week. Each treatment lasts from 3 to 5 or more hours. During treatment, you can read, write, sleep, talk, or watch TV. Getting Ready
Arteriovenous fistula.Several months before your first hemodialysis treatment, an access to your bloodstream will need to be created. You may need to stay overnight in the hospital, but many patients have their access created on an outpatient basis. This access provides an efficient way for blood to be carried from your body to the dialyzer and back without causing discomfort. The two main types of access are a fistula and a graft.
A surgeon makes a fistula by using your own blood vessels; an artery is connected directly to a vein, usually in your forearm. The increased blood flow makes the vein grow larger and stronger so it can be used for repeated needle insertions. This kind of access is the preferred type. It may take several weeks to be ready for use. A graft connects an artery to a vein by using a synthetic tube. It doesn’t need to develop as a fistula does, so it can be used sooner after placement. But a graft is more likely to have problems with infection and clotting.
Catheter for temporary access.Before dialysis, needles are placed into the access to draw out the blood.
If your kidney disease has progressed quickly, you may not have time to get a permanent vascular access before you start hemodialysis treatments. You may need to use a catheter—a small, soft tube inserted into a vein in your neck, chest, or leg near the groin—as a temporary access. Some people use a catheter for long-term access as well. Catheters that will be needed for more than about 3 weeks are designed to be placed under the skin to increase comfort and reduce complications. Who Performs HemodialysisHemodialysis is most often done in a dialysis center by patient care technicians who are supervised by nurses. Medicare pays for three hemodialysis treatments each week. If you choose in-center treatment, you will have a fixed time slot three times per week on Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday. If you do not get the time slot you want at first, you can ask to be put on a waiting list for the time slot you prefer. For a special event, you may be able to trade times with someone else. You will want to think about the dialysis schedule if you work or have children to care for. Some centers offer in-center nocturnal dialysis. This treatment is done for a longer period at night, while you sleep at the center. Getting more dialysis means fewer diet and fluid limits, and this treatment leaves your days free for work, child care, hobbies, or other tasks. You can choose to learn how to do your own hemodialysis treatments at home. When you are the only patient, it is possible to do longer or more frequent dialysis, which comes closer to replacing the steady work healthy kidneys do. Daily home hemodialysis (DHHD) is done 5 to 7 days per week for 2 to 3 hours at a time, and you set the schedule. If your health plan will pay for more than three treatments, you might do the short treatments in the mornings or in the evenings. Nocturnal home hemodialysis (NHHD) is done 3 to 6 nights per week while you sleep. Either DHHD or NHHD will allow a more normal diet and fluids, with fewer blood pressure and other medications. Most programs want people doing hemodialysis at home to have a trained partner in the home while they do treatments. Learning to do home hemodialysis is like learning to drive a car—it takes a few weeks and is scary at first, but then it becomes routine. The dialysis center provides the machine and training, plus 24-hour support if you have a question or problem. New machines for home dialysis are smaller and easier to use than in-center ones. You have a choice of dialysis centers, and most towns have more than one center to choose from. You can visit a center to see if it has the treatments you want or the time slot you need. Some centers will let you use a laptop or cell phone or have visitors, and others will not. Medicare has a list of all U.S. centers on its Dialysis Facility Compare website (www.medicare.gov/dialysis) with quality ratings for each. Your health plan may have a list of centers you can use. If you choose in-center treatment, you may want the center to be close to your home to reduce your travel time. If you do a home treatment, once you are trained you only need to visit the center once a month. So, the center can be as far away as you are willing to travel once a month. Possible ComplicationsVascular access problems are the most common reason for hospitalization among people on hemodialysis. Common problems include infection, blockage from clotting, and poor blood flow. These problems can keep your treatments from working. You may need to undergo repeated surgeries in order to get a properly functioning access. Other problems can be caused by rapid changes in your body’s water and chemical balance during treatment. Muscle cramps and hypotension—a sudden drop in blood pressure—are two common side effects. Hypotension can make you feel weak, dizzy, or sick to your stomach. You’ll probably need a few months to adjust to hemodialysis. Side effects can often be treated quickly and easily, so you should always report them to your doctor and dialysis staff. You can avoid many side effects if you follow a proper diet, limit your liquid intake, and take your medicines as directed. Diet for HemodialysisHemodialysis and a proper diet help reduce the wastes that build up in your blood. A dietitian is available at all dialysis centers to help you plan meals according to your doctor’s orders. When choosing foods, remember to eat balanced amounts of high-protein foods such as meat, chicken, and fish. control the amount of potassium you eat. Potassium is a mineral found in salt substitutes; some fruits, such as bananas and oranges; vegetables; chocolate; and nuts. Too much potassium can be dangerous to your heart. limit how much you drink. When your kidneys aren’t working, water builds up quickly in your body. Too much liquid makes your tissues swell and can lead to high blood pressure, heart trouble, and cramps and low blood pressure during dialysis. avoid salt. Salty foods make you thirsty and make your body hold water. limit foods such as milk, cheese, nuts, dried beans, and dark colas. These foods contain large amounts of the mineral phosphorus. Too much phosphorus in your blood causes calcium to be pulled from your bones, which makes them weak and brittle and can cause arthritis. To prevent bone problems, your doctor may give you special medicines, which you must take with meals every day as directed.
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