HemoDialysis
When Your Kidneys Fail Hemodialysis Hemodialysis Access and How It Works How Hemodialysis Works The Pros and Cons of Hemodialysis Paying for Hemodialysis	How Hemodialysis Works The dialysis machine has three main jobs: (1) to pump blood and monitor blood flow; (2) to clean wastes from the blood; and (3) to monitor blood pressure and rate of fluid removal from the body. During each hemodialysis treatment two needles are put into the access (a process called cannulation). One needle removes the blood from your body that needs cleaning and sends it to the dialyzer or artificial kidney. The other needle returns the cleaned blood back to your body. Only about one cup of blood is out of your body being cleaned at any time during treatment. Most dialysis treatments are 3-4 hours long, three to four times each week.Patients dialyze on a regular schedule which is either Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Your nephrologist will tell you how many treatments you will need and how long each treatment will last.The length of treatment depends on your body size, blood tests and medical condition. From National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/   Dialysis doesn't completely replace your original kidney function because kidneys work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So for long term, good health and well-being it is important to have all of the dialysis treatments for the prescribed amount of time. During dialysis you can do many activities to help the time pass quickly (reading, work activities, exercise, board games with fellow patients, knitting, crocheting, etc.)