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what is dialisis?
Dialysis is a medical process through which a person's blood is cleansed of the toxins the kidneys normally would flush out. It is generally used when a person's kidneys no longer function properly. This can be a result of congenital kidney disease, long-term diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions.

There are two main kinds of dialysis used: peritoneal and hemodialysis. Peritoneal dialysis can be done in the home, by the patient, either alone or with a helper. Peritoneal dialysis uses the body's peritoneal membrane, inside the abdomen, to infuse a glucose-based solution into the abdominal cavity. The solution remains in the abdomen for about two hours, and is then drained out.

Hemodialysis is probably the procedure that most people are familiar with. This procedure is performed at a hospital or dialysis center. The patient is hooked up, via a tube in the veins, to a machine that circulates his blood through a machine, through semi-permeable filters that take out the toxins in the blood. The procedure usually takes three to four hours.


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