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Haemodialysis (HD) is a machine-assisted blood filtration method which removes waste and excess fluid from your blood in a dialyser (or artificial kidney) outside your body. |
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HD requires a doctor to surgically create permanent access to your blood stream, via your arm or thigh, allowing blood to be diverted from your body, through the dialyser and back into your blood stream.
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There are two types of permanent access – a fistula and a graft. A fistula is the surgical linking of an artery to a vein, providing access to blood vessels. A graft is a tube surgically placed under the skin linking an artery to a vein. |
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A Kidney failure patient undergoing haemodialysis |
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During HD treatment two needles are inserted into the access point. Plastic tubes attached to these needles connect them to a dialyzer. The blood, about 200mL at any one time, is drawn from your body via one needle and pumped through the dialyzer. |
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The blood circulates outside the body of the patient - it goes through a machine that has special filters. The blood comes out of the patient through a catheter (a flexible tube) that is inserted into the vein. The filters do what the kidney's do; they filter out the waste products from the blood. The filtered blood then returns to the patient via another catheter. The patient is, in effect, connected to a kind of artificial kidney.
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An artificial membrane separates the blood from the dialysis fluid but allows waste and excess water to diffuse through from the blood.
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The clean blood is then returned to your body via the second needle or tube and the needles are removed at the end of each session. Each session lasts three-to-five hours and is usually performed three times a week
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During treatment, you can read, write, sleep, talk, or watch TV.
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It is likely you will feel tired and weak following Haemodialysis treatment. |
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