According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 780,000 adults across the United States are suffering from kidney failure. If you are living with kidney failure, dialysis treatment is a critical method of assisting the body in removing waste until a kidney transplant can be performed.
During hemodialysis, a patient’s blood is circulated through a machine called a dialyzer, which acts as an artificial kidney. This treatment removes waste and excess fluid and balances electrolytes before returning cleaned blood back into the body. Before hemodialysis can be performed, doctors must perform a procedure to gain easy access to the body’s blood supply, using a fistula, graft or catheter.
Patients undergoing in-center hemodialysis receive treatments three times per week. Home hemodialysis treatment may be provided more frequently. Each session typically lasts approximately three to five hours. However, the specific frequency and duration of hemodialysis treatments are determined based on the individual needs of each patient and the advice of healthcare professionals.
Possible common side effects of hemodialysis include low blood pressure, muscle cramps, fatigue, infection and anemia. These side effects can often be managed with medical interventions or adjustments to the dialysis treatment plan. It is important for patients to communicate any side effects to their health care team for proper management.
If you are facing kidney failure, do not wait. Speak with your primary care physician about receiving dialysis treatment with Hattiesburg Clinic. Once you have received a referral, browse through our convenient locations to find the closest clinic near you. Contact us today and begin your dialysis treatment with Mississippi’s leading nephrology clinic.
Hattiesburg Clinic’s nephrology team provides advanced life-saving hemodialysis treatments to patients across Mississippi. With multiple locations, Hattiesburg Clinic makes receiving comprehensive care easy and accessible to our dialysis patients and community.