tHE DIALYSIS PROCESS

 A normally functioning kidney removes waste products and excess fluid from the body. Individuals with chronic kidney failure, termed End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), have a chronic loss of kidney function. For these individuals, on-going dialysis treatment, or kidney transplantation, is required to sustain life. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) often results from uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes.

For those patients who are unable to receive a kidney transplant, who are on a waiting list for a transplant or whose transplant has failed, there are two options:

Haemodialysis: This process separates the waste products and excess water from a patient's blood by use of a sophisticated mechanical filter that serves as an artificial kidney. Haemodialysis treatments average four hours a session, three times a week, and are typically administered in outpatient clinics.

Peritoneal Dialysis: This process removes waste products from the blood by using the peritoneum, the lining that encloses the abdomen's internal organs. The treatment, generally administered by the patient, introduces a solution into the peritoneal cavity through a surgically implanted catheter. The solution remains in the body for several hours with the peritoneum acting as a dialysing membrane that cleans waste from the patient's system. With this method, patients can treat themselves at home.