Want to Do Dialysis? These are Important Things You Should Know Beforehand

Kidney function in patients with kidney failure or chronic kidney disease will not be optimal. When the kidneys, which function to filter all impurities and toxins, are unable to work optimally, waste, dirt, and toxins build up in the blood. If kidney function is damaged by 85-90 percent, it is mandatory to do dialysis to avoid various complications. If you are going to do a dialysis procedure, here are some things you should know before you do dialysis:

What is washing blood?

Dialysis or dialysis is an important procedure for patients with kidney failure. Its function itself is to replace kidney function in patients with kidney failure, namely removing harmful impurities or toxins and excess fluids in the body or toxic clearance .

Two types of dialysis procedures

There are two types of dialysis or dialysis procedures that can be performed for patients with kidney failure, namely hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Hemodialysis is a dialysis procedure using an artificial kidney or hemodialysis . The patient's blood will be removed from the body and filtered through the hemodialyzer . The filtered blood is then returned to the body with the help of a dialysis machine.

While peritoneal dialysis is performed inside the patient's body. The doctor will perform a surgical procedure into the stomach to be filled with dialysate through a catheter. The liquid will absorb all dirt and poison and will be removed from the patient's stomach.

Frequency and preparation for dialysis treatment

The frequency of dialysis treatment is carried out according to the health situation of each patient. Some are conducted three times a week in sessions of three to five hours each. However, there are also those who do it every six or seven times a week for two to three hours a day.

Preparation for dialysis is done a few weeks before the first dialysis. Patients must be made access to blood vessels so that blood can easily enter and leave the body.

Washing process

When the dialysis procedure is performed, the doctor will first examine the patient's health and physical condition. Such as checking weight, body temperature, and blood pressure. Furthermore, access to blood vessels that have been made during the preparation process will be cleaned and two needles will be installed and connected to a dialysis tube. One needle will drain blood into the dialysis machine and the other needle will drain blood from the machine into the body.

After the blood is filtered through a special membrane in the dialysis device, the clean blood will be returned to the body using a special pump. During the dialysis procedure, the patient may sleep, watch TV or read in bed.

Pre-dialysis procedure

After the dialysis procedure is carried out, patients are still encouraged to maintain their health by eating healthy food so that fluid intake of protein and salt remains balanced. Patients are also encouraged to discuss with a nutritionist in order to regulate a healthy diet. Patients also still have to take drugs that have been prescribed by an internist.

To ensure that metabolic wastes are disposed of properly, the doctor will monitor the patient's condition before, during and after dialysis. Once a month, the doctor will perform several tests to monitor the patient's condition.

Because kidney function is very important for life, you need to maintain it by living a healthy lifestyle and routinely carrying out kidney function tests to monitor kidney conditions. If there are complaints related to kidney disorders, immediately consult a doctor at EMC Hospital. #LiveExcellently