Post Date December, 03 2023
Last week, Aunt Wang told her dialysis story (← Click to learn about Aunt Wang's medical experience). Some friends with similar situations expressed their understanding of empathy, while others expressed confidence in the follow-up treatment.
However, there is still a question that has not been addressed, namely, what are the respective characteristics of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
Some readers have asked:
According to the news, some uremic patients have their own dialysis at home and even self-made dialysis equipment.
Isn't dialysis supposed to be quite complicated? How can I still do it at home?
This time, I will continue the topic of dialysis and talk about the two treatment methods of hemodialysis and abdominal dialysis.
What is hemodialysis?
"Hemodialysis is the extraction of a patient's blood from the body, the elimination of toxins by a hemodialysis machine, and then the transfusion back into the body.". Dialyzer, which takes on the original task of kidney.
Hemodialysis requires establishing vascular access. For patients who require long-term hemodialysis, it is best to have surgery on the arm to establish an arteriovenous fistula.
This is a small operation on the elbow bend, connecting the arteries and veins here to increase blood flow, facilitate needle insertion, and improve dialysis efficiency.
During dialysis, like infusion, a needle is inserted into the arm to connect the tube. Generally, it takes about 4 hours to complete a dialysis session. During the process, there are usually no very uncomfortable situations.
What is peritoneal dialysis?
Peritoneal dialysis involves opening a small hole in the patient's stomach and placing a tube through which the dialysate is poured into the stomach several times a day, using the filtration effect of the peritoneum to expel toxins and excess water from the body.
During each replacement, it is necessary to strictly pay attention to aseptic operation in an independent and disinfected room.
For example:
Every morning, at 8 o'clock, the patient fills the abdomen with peritoneal dialysis fluid, and at 11 o'clock at noon, it is released, and then new fluid is infused. Do this again at 4pm and 11pm.
The patient has more freedom of movement during the time outside of changing the peritoneal dialysis fluid.
In order to make it more convenient, some people use an peritoneal dialysis machine to replace the peritoneal dialysis fluid at night, which allows them more freedom during the day.
Abdominal dialysis can be completed by patients or family members themselves. According to media reports, dialysis at home is basically abdominal dialysis.
(The practice of homemade dialysis machines is not recommended in health headlines!)
How to choose between the two?
Advantages of hemodialysis:
There is a hemodialysis room near my home, which is quite convenient.
Cardiac function and peripheral vascular function are relatively good.
There are no blood borne diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and HIV.
Personal time is relatively loose, such as retirees, freelancers, or patients with flexible working hours.
The biggest disadvantage of hemodialysis is that it is necessary to ensure that there are three visits to the hospital every week for treatment. In addition, the impact on life can be almost negligible.
Advantages of peritoneal dialysis:
Family living conditions are good, with independent, disinfectable rooms.
It is difficult to free up time due to the distance from the hospital or the need to work or study during the day.
The patient has strong self care ability and can master abdominal dialysis technology.
Good appetite (because abdominal dialysis patients require more protein intake than hemodialysis patients).
The price is relatively cheap.
However, the effect of peritoneal dialysis is difficult for doctors to control, and should be determined based on the patient's peritoneal function. If the peritoneal function is too poor or there are related contraindications, peritoneal dialysis cannot be performed.
Can we not dialysis?
Whether or not you can get rid of dialysis depends entirely on the recovery of the patient's renal function. Once your own kidney can work, it naturally does not need to be replaced by dialysis.
Some patients with acute renal injury can be removed from dialysis after the recovery of renal function.
"However, if a patient's renal function is not restored and they discontinue dialysis without authorization, they often experience significant edema, poor appetite, fatigue, electrolyte disorders, and even dangerous heart disease within a period of about one month.".
Irregular dialysis can also lead to high levels of toxins in the body. If it continues, it is prone to osteoporosis, bone deformation, and pathological fractures. It not only affects life expectancy, but also greatly reduces the quality of life.
Dialysis is not a torrent, it should be viewed scientifically. When the doctor believes it is necessary to start dialysis, it is recommended to actively face and cooperate with treatment. Avoiding diseases, avoiding medical treatment, or superstitious and deceptive "high-tech treatment methods" often lead to the loss of both human and financial resources.
