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Hemodialysis Treatment Time
Remember, you can help yourself feel betterafter dialysis and in-between dialysistreatments by staying on the machine for yourwhole treatment. If you have gained more fluidthan we can safely remove in one treatment orif your lab values show you are not gettingenough dialysis, please be willing to dialyzelonger or add an extra treatment.
As You Prepare for Dialysis, it is importantfor you to realize healthy kidneys work 24hours a day to keep waste and fluid frombuilding up in your body. That is 168 hours aweek. If your kidneys fail and you choosehemodialysis, most patients dialyze about 12hours a week. Dialysis is very effective butdoes not replace your kidneys. Most dialysisspecialists think that longer hemodialysistreatments are better than shortertreatments.
Time on Dialysis is ImportantMany dialysis specialists now say that allhemodialysis treatments should be at least4 hours long. Longer dialysis times allowmore gentle removal of your excess fluid andbalancing your electrolytes. This is mucheasier on your heart and you will also feelbetter after dialysis.
Shortened TreatmentsWhile it may be tempting to shorten or skip atreatment, even shortening your treatment by10 minutes puts you at a higher risk of dying. Ifyou shorten each treatment by 10 minutes, overa month’s time you will miss more than 2 hoursof dialysis time, or half a dialysis treatment.Dialysis is already only providing a fraction ofwhat your healthy kidneys do, so decreasingyour time can have a big impact on your health.
Fact:During any month, each time you shorten yourtreatment by 10 minutes or more, you have an11% increased risk of dying.
When you shorten your treatments, the damagethat is done to your body may not make youfeel bad that day. Over time the damage toyour heart, brain and other vital organs slowlybuilds and may be much harder to treat.
Symptoms That May Occur from ShortenedTreatments Are: Itching, swelling, worsening of high bloodpressure, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, feelingtired or weak, difficulty with sleeping,decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting,shortness of breath, sores on your skin,headache.
When You Start Treatment
Missed TreatmentsMissing one treatment decreases yourdialysis time by at least 4 hours forthat week. In the week you miss atreatment you are only dialyzing 8hours compared to the 168 hours yourkidneys would have provided you todo the same job. This means that thetime to remove the fluid and wastethat has built up in your blood isreduced by one-third.
You are also missing other importantfactors about your treatment, likemedications you can only receive whileon treatment. These medications aremaking up for things that your kidneysno longer do, so if you do not come totreatment, you may feel worsebecause you did not get thesemedications.
Every time you miss a dialysistreatment, you are more likely togo to the hospital.
Patients sometimes think that ifthey feel sick they should notcome to treatment. In fact, it isprobably even more important tocome to your treatment so yourhealthcare team can assess youand get you the right care. Oftenthe reason a patient on dialysisdoes not feel well is because he orshe has not had enough dialysis.
Again, Time on Dialysis isImportant!
Hemodialysis Treatment Time
Kidney CareReal Engagement Achieving Complete Health
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www.ReachKidneyCare.orgA Non-Profit Corporation
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Fact:If you miss one treatment a month, you have a 14% higher risk ofdying. If you miss more than one treatment per month, you havea 27% increased risk of dying.
CKD-10-1214© 2015 Reach Kidney Care. All rights reserved.