People who have kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) needs dialysis.
There are five stages of kidney disease.
In stage 5 kidney disease, healthcare providers consider you to be in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or kidney failure. At this point, kidneys are carrying out around 10% to 15% of their normal function. Hence a need for dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive. Some people undergo dialysis while waiting for a transplant.
There are two ways to get dialysis:
With hemodialysis, a machine removes blood from the body, filters it through a dialyzer (artificial kidney) and returns the cleaned blood to the body. This 3- to 5-hour process may take place in a hospital or a dialysis center three times a week.
With peritoneal dialysis, tiny blood vessels inside the abdominal lining (peritoneum) filter blood through the aid of a dialysis solution. This solution is a type of cleansing liquid that contains water, salt and other additives. Peritoneal dialysis takes place at home.
There are two ways to do this treatment: