Haemodialysis – A brief introduction

What is haemodialysis?

In haemodialysis, an artificial kidney (haemodia-

lyser) is used to remove waste and extra chemicals

and fluid from your blood. To get your blood into the

artificial kidney, the doctor needs to make an ac-

cess (entrance) into your blood vessels. This is

done by minor surgery to your arm or leg.

Sometimes, an access is made by joining an artery

to a vein under your skin to make a bigger blood

vessel called a fistula.

However, if your blood vessels are not adequate for

a fistula, the doctor may use a soft plastic tube to

join an artery and a vein under your skin. This is

called a graft.

Another form of access is made by means of a

narrow plastic tube, called a catheter, neck. This

type of access may be temporary, but is sometimes

used for long-term treatment.

Why do I need dialysis?

You need dialysis because you have suffered

kidney (renal) failure. Your kidneys have stopped –

or almost stopped working. The kidneys are the

body’s filter system, getting rid of toxins and chemi-

cals you do not need, and keeping the fluid and

chemicals you do need.

Kidney failure, if left untreated, is fatal but modern

medicine has provided us with a life saving

treatment – DIALYSIS.

How long do haemodialysis treatments

last?

The time needed for your dialysis depends on:

how well your kidneys work

how much fluid weight you gain between

treatments

how much waste you have in your body

how big you are

the type of dialyser (artificial kidney) used

Usually, each haemodialysis treatment lasts about

four hours and is done three times per week.

How long has dialysis been available?

Haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis have been

done since the mid 1940‘s. Dialysis, as a regular

treatment, was begun in 1960 and is now a

standard treatment all around the world. CAPD

began in 1976. Thousands of patients have been

helped by these treatments.

Dialysis is now a safe procedure, with thousands of

patients receiving treatment around the world.

Will dialysis help cure the kidney disease?

No. Dialysis does some of the work of healthy

kidneys, but it does not cure your kidney disease.

You will need to have dialysis treatments for your

whole life unless you are able to get a kidney

transplant.

Is dialysis uncomfortable?

You may have some discomfort when the needles

are put into your fistula or graft, but most patients

have no other problems. The dialysis treatment

itself is painless. However, some patients may

have a drop in their blood pressure. If this happens,

you may feel sick to your stomach, vomit, have a

head-ache or cramps. With frequent treatments,

those problems usually go away.

However, if you ever feel unwell on dialysis always

tell the nurse. It may be possible to alter your treat-

ment somehow to reduce the symptoms you feel.

Will Dialysis keep me well?

We cannot promise that you will feel as well on

dialysis as you did before kidney failure, as there is

no real substitute for your own healthy kidneys. But

to keep you as well as possible your treatment will

consist of 3 main elements – dialysis, diet and

drugs.

The haemodialysis diet is quite strict and can take

some getting used to. There will be limits on your

intake of fluid, and you will need to be careful of

foods high in sodium and potassium. But with

imagination you can still cook tasty meals. We’ll

give you more information on your diet later in

another booklet. Your care team will also explain

your diet to you in detail.

There are a number of drugs which you need to

take to help prevent some of the complications of

dialysis – we will also cover these later. However,

there will be times when you will feel tired and fed-

up. This is the same as with any chronic illness.

But with care and by following the advice you are

given, you will be able to carry out most normal

activities.

Are there any complications?

There are a number of common complications

associated with kidney failure and dialysis. These

include anaemia, cramp, dry and itchy skin, weight

loss. Long term complications may include depres-

sion, diminished sexual function, abnormal bone

regeneration and bone pain.

Although these are common complications it does

not mean that you will experience all of them! We

will also cover these questions later.

Many patients have reported that dialysis and a

drug called EPO (which helps to prevent anaemia)

improves many of the symptoms they experienced

before dialysis – itchy, tiredness, mood swings and

poor sleep patterns.

Do dialysis patients feel normal?

Many patients live normal lives except for the time

needed for treatments. Dialysis usually makes you

feel better because it helps many of the problems

caused by kidney failure. You and your family will

need time to get used to dialysis.

How long can you live on dialysis?

We do not yet know how long patients on dialysis

will live. We think that some dialysis patients may

live as long as people without kidney failure.

By following the advice that you given by the

nursing and medical staff it is possible to prevent

may of the possible complications associated with

renal failure. We will cover may of this points later

on in the KEY Program

Can dialysis patients travel?

Yes. Dialysis centres are located in every part of

the of the world. The treatment is standardized.

You must make an appointment for dialysis

treatments at another centre before you go. The

staff at your centre will help you make the

arrangements.

Can dialysis patients continue to work or

study?

Many dialysis patients can go back to work after

they have gotten used to dialysis. If your job has a

lot of physical labour (heavy lifting, digging, etc.),

you may need to consider a different job.

Equally you will be able to continue studying.

In both cases, discuss your needs with the dialysis

team and they will try to accommodate your

dialysis sessions to fit in with your work or study.

If I am not coping who can I talk to?

The dialysis centre will always have qualified

nursing and medical staff with whom you can raise

your concerns. Also there will be links with social

workers, psychologists and dieticians if you have

more specific needs.

All of the staff have a wealth of experience and will

be able to listen to you and help. There are thou-

sands of patients who have successfully passed

through the difficult early stages of renal failure.

The important thing is to remember you do not

have to cope with this alone.

So what next?

Now you have read through this a nurse or doctor

will come back to answer any other questions you

might have. Remember, you can ask questions at

any time.

There will be other booklets for you to read later

that will include the following topics:

Haemodialysis – a brief introduction

How does haemodialysis work?

Looking after your vascular access

Managing you fluid intake

The dialysis diet

Common drugs used on dialysis

Increasing your independence

Transplantation

We hope that this will help you to adapt to dialysis,

helping you to feel better.

Remember, you can ask questions about your

treatment at any time.

B.Braun Avitum AG | Schwarzenberger Weg 73-79 | 34212 Melsungen | Germany

Tel. +49 5661 71-2624 | Fax +49 5661 75-2624 | dialysis@bbraun.com | www.bbraun-dialysis.com