Dialysis Services
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- September 5, 2026
- 5 MINS READ
Patient Procedures
Understanding Dialysis
Starting dialysis can feel overwhelming, bringing drastic changes to your daily routine. At St. Stephen’s Hospital, we believe that kidney failure should not be the end of an active, fulfilling life. Our state-of-the-art dialysis centers and dedicated nephrology teams provide comprehensive care, ensuring your treatment is as comfortable and seamless as possible.
What is Dialysis?
Healthy kidneys work around the clock to filter waste, excess fluids, and toxins from your blood while balancing your body’s electrolytes. When your kidneys lose their ability to perform these vital functions, dialysis steps in to do the work artificially.
Types of Dialysis We Offer:
- Hemodialysis (HD): Blood is pumped out of your body, run through an artificial kidney machine (dialyzer) to be cleaned, and then safely returned to your body.
- Peritoneal Dialysis (PD): This method uses the natural lining of your own abdomen (the peritoneum) as a filter. A special cleansing fluid is introduced into your belly through a catheter, absorbs waste, and is then drained away and is done in the comfort of home by the patient themselves or with the help of an attendant.
When and Why is it Needed?
Dialysis is required when a patient reaches End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). This typically happens when kidney function drops below 10-15%. Conditions that commonly lead to ESRD include:
- Chronic, uncontrolled diabetes.
- Long-standing high blood pressure (hypertension).
- Polycystic kidney disease or chronic inflammation of the kidneys (glomerulonephritis).
How Does the Treatment Work?
- Hemodialysis Process: You will have a minor surgical procedure usually planned ahead during CKD Stage IV–V rather than urgently, weeks beforehand to create a vascular access point (usually an AV fistula in your arm). During treatment, two needles are placed into this access point. Sessions generally take 3 to 4 hours and are done 3 times a week at our specialized center.
- Peritoneal Dialysis Process: A catheter is surgically placed in your abdomen. You will be trained to perform "exchanges" (filling and draining the fluid). This can often be done daily in the comfort of your own home, sometimes even overnight while you sleep, with the help of an automated cycler.
Risks and Complications
Living on dialysis requires careful management. Hemodialysis patients may occasionally experience sudden drops in blood pressure, leading to dizziness, nausea, or muscle cramps during the session. Peritoneal dialysis carries a risk of peritonitis (infection of the abdominal lining) if strict hygiene protocols are not followed during exchanges.
Daily Care and Recovery
- Access Care: For hemodialysis, you must protect your AV fistula arm—avoid heavy lifting, wearing tight jewelry, or taking blood pressure readings on that arm. For PD, keeping the catheter site immaculately clean, covered, and dry, along with proper technique is vital.
- Fatigue Management: It is common to feel "washed out" immediately after a hemodialysis session. Scheduling time to rest post-treatment is highly recommended.
Life on Dialysis (Diet & Lifestyle)
Your diet plays a massive role in how well you feel between treatments.
- Fluid Control: Because your body cannot eliminate urine efficiently, you must strictly monitor your daily fluid intake to prevent swelling and heart strain.
- Nutrient Balancing: You will work with our renal dietitians to limit foods high in potassium (like bananas and potatoes), phosphorus (like dairy and nuts), and sodium.
- Protein: Dialysis removes protein from your body, so a high-quality protein diet is often prescribed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Dialysis is required when a patient reaches End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), meaning the kidneys have lost 85 to 90 percent of their filtering ability. At this stage, the kidneys can no longer safely remove waste, maintain fluid balance, or regulate blood pressure. Planning for dialysis usually begins earlier, during CKD Stage IV–V.
The dialysis process itself does not hurt. The only pain you may feel is a brief pinch when the needles are inserted into your access site for hemodialysis. Some patients occasionally experience sudden drops in blood pressure during treatment, which can cause temporary muscle cramps or nausea.
In Hemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body, cleaned through an artificial kidney machine, and safely returned. In Peritoneal Dialysis, a cleansing fluid is introduced through a catheter into your abdomen, absorbs the waste using your body's natural lining, and is then drained.
The two primary types of dialysis are Hemodialysis (usually done at a clinic 3 times a week using a machine) and Peritoneal Dialysis (often done daily at home, sometimes overnight, using the lining of the abdomen to filter blood). A more advanced form of hemodialysis, called hemodiafiltration (HDF), combines diffusion and convection to remove a wider range of waste products from the blood.
Dialysis is a life-sustaining treatment done to replace the critical functions of failing kidneys. It artificially removes dangerous toxins, waste products, and excess fluids from the blood, preventing them from building up to lethal levels in the body.
The leading cause of mortality in dialysis patients is cardiovascular disease (such as heart attacks or heart failure), as kidney failure places immense strain on the heart and blood vessels. Severe infections and voluntarily withdrawing from dialysis treatment are also common causes.
Temporary (acute) dialysis is a short-term treatment used when the kidneys fail suddenly, such as in Acute Kidney Injury (AKI); it is often stopped once kidney function recovers. Maintenance dialysis is a long-term, ongoing treatment for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) whose kidneys have failed permanently, and it continues lifelong or until a kidney transplant.