INTRODUCTION TO DIALYSIS

Watch :Principals of Dialysis

Introduction:

People whose kidneys fail need dialysis or a kidney transplant to live.  There are several types of treatments.  The treatment patients choose will have a huge impact on their day-to-day lives, including:

·         What they can eat and drink

·         How well they sleep

·         How many medications they need to take

·         Whether they can be active and keep a job

·         How they spend their time

·         Whether they can father or bear children

A person on dialysis is the focus of care.  He or she is the one whose life can be made better by good dialysis – or who can be harmed by poor treatment or errors.  Some patients will take an active role in their care and co-operate all they can.  Respect this interest and encourage it!  Others may not be as active.  They need your support and help, too.

Some people give up on life when they need dialysis.  Others view their treatment as just a small part of their lives.  They are teachers, bus drivers, lawyers, homemakers, real estate agents, tool and die, makers, students, parents, and much more.  Either way, those on dialysis are more than just patients.  They are human beings first just like us.

The goal of caring for kidney failure patients is to help each one reach his or her highest level of health.  Your patients have just one thing in common- kidneys that don’t work.  Besides that, each has unique knowledge, interests, and ways he or she prefers to do things.  Treat each person with respect.  Think about how you or your loved ones would want to be treated.   Keep this in mind each day at work to help you give the best care to all of your patients.

As a dialysis technician, you are an important part of the care team.  You have the closest contact with each patient.  This role gives you a chance to learn about your patients and share vital insights with the team that can help you to improve care.  Patients will ask you questions.  They will expect you to know the answers – or refer them to a staff person who can help.  This means you need to know about kidney disease, what causes it, how it affects the body, what treatment options there are, and more.

The functions of the kidneys:

The main job of kidneys is to keep the right balance of chemicals and fluid in the body at all times. We call this homeostasis. To keep balance in the body, the kidneys:

Remove wastes

Keep water and electrolytes in balance

Control blood pressure

Maintain acid-base balance

Make hormones

Symptoms of Kidney failure

Swelling on the face & ankles

Nausea & vomiting

Weakness

High potassium

Low hemoglobin levels

Itching all over the body.

What is Hemodialysis?

Hemodialysis is the most often used treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), more commonly known as kidney failure. During a hemodialysis treatment, a machine pumps blood from your body by way of a flexible, plastic tube, cleans it and then returns it to your body through a separate tube. In order to perform hemodialysis access must be created

What is Vascular Access?

An access is a site from which blood can be safely removed and returned to the patient body. The access site is often referred to as your “lifeline.” It is used to gain access to patient circulation.  So that the blood can be pumped and cleansed through the artificial kidney