Hemodialysis is the process in which blood is removed from the body by a pump, filtered through a dialyzer and sent back to the body.
In this procedure, a plastic Gortex graft tube is placed between the patient’s artery and vein. This is called Cimino fistula. A fistula has two tubes. Through one tube the blood enters the dialysis machine from the body and through the other tube the purified blood returns to the body. A hollow catheter is placed in the patient’s lower arm or leg. A fistula tube is connected to the catheter. The end of the tube is connected to the dialysis machine or dialyzer. Inside the dialysis machine is the dialysis screen or filter. A fistula tube from the other side of the dialyzer is attached to a vein in the patient’s arm or leg.
For hemodialysis, blood is pumped from the patient’s body through a catheter into a fistula tube. Blood from the tube goes to the dialyzer machine. Dialysate (dialyzing solution) is introduced into the dialyzer. As the blood flows through the dialyzer, water, urea, uric acid, creatinine, sodium, potassium etc. are separated by dialysis screens or filters. But blood cells and protein molecules are indistinguishable. After the waste products are removed, the purified blood enters the patient’s vein through the tube.
It takes 6-8 hours to complete the process. Hemodialysis is performed at least twice a week. Fresh dialysate (dialyzing solution) is used each time hemodialysis.