Desert Dialysis

In-center hemodialysis is performed at a dialysis facility. Hemodialysis treatments are scheduled three times a week. The length of the treatment is prescribed by a physician and generally lasts 4 hours. To start treatment, specially trained nurses and dialysis technicians insert two needles, connected to dialysis tubing, into a person’s access (usually in the arm) to circulate the blood out of the body, through the tubing, into the dialysis machine to remove the excess fluid and waste, and then back into the person’s body. Nurses and technicians are always there watching and monitoring the treatment.

Our clinic is proud to offer training in home hemodialysis. Home hemodialysis is a treatment option in which you and a trained partner can perform your hemodialysis treatments in the comfort of your own home. Home hemodialysis requires that you and your partner (usually a family member or close friend) complete a training course. At first, you and your partner will learn how to do the treatments in the clinic while working with a dialysis nurse. The length of training will vary for each patient, partner and dialysis facility. Training sessions (where you will complete your actual dialysis treatment while training) usually last four to five hours a day, three to four days per week for three to eight weeks. The education program will teach you and your partner all the necessary skills to dialyze safely at home. You will learn how to troubleshoot problems and how to properly manage emergencies. You will also be taught how to order your supplies. The equipment and supplies are delivered directly to you. The staff is available to answer you hone calls 24 hours a day. Home hemodialysis treatments allow for flexibility in the time of day you complete your treatment. Some types of home dialysis therapy can be done at night while you sleep. Even though you are completing all of your treatments at home, you will still need to travel to your clinic or nephrologist’s office once a month for blood work and for an assessment of your condition. Home hemodialysis is currently available in selected areas. If you are interested in home dialysis, please call our office to learn more about the next training session.

Peritoneal dialysis, or PD, is a daily treatment. PD is a procedure that removes wastes, chemicals and extra fluid from your body. This type of dialysis uses the peritoneal membrane, the thin, natural lining of your abdomen, to filter your blood. The peritoneal membrane acts as the artificial kidney. Although it is there to protect your organs, it has many tiny holes, or pores, in it that can be used to filter waste products and other chemicals from your blood. To prepare for PD, a surgeon places a permanent tube called a catheter into the lower abdomen to carry solution in and out of the abdomen. The sugar in the solution, called dextrose, draws wastes, chemicals and extra fluid from your blood through the peritoneal membrane and into the dialysate solution that is in your abdomen. After several hours, the used solution is drained from your abdomen through the catheter and into an empty bag. Your abdomen is then refilled with fresh dialysate and the cycle is repeated. Each cycle of draining used dialysate and refilling with fresh dialysate is called an exchange. There are two common types of PD: Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) and Continuous Cycling Peritoneal Dialysis (CCPD).