If you and your healthcare team have chosen hemodialysis to treat your kidney failure, you'll need an access point, or connection point, so that your blood can be cleaned by the dialysis machine several times a week. For most people, this access point is an AV fistula, often made in the patient's arm. By watching this program, you'll learn how your dialysis care team will access the fistula during dialysis.
Automated Peritoneal Dialysis, or APD, is a type of kidney dialysis that is usually done at home, often while a patient is sleeping. A special machine automatically cycles a washing fluid through the patient's abdomen 3 to 5 times a night, removing excess fluids and any waste material. Watch this program to learn more about APD.
Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, happens when your kidneys are no longer fully able to clean waste products and fluid from the blood. CKD can be caused by several things, including high blood pressure, diabetes, injury and genetic problems. As CKD worsens, it can result in kidney failure where dialysis or a kidney transplant are required in order to survive. Learn how following a management plan can help slow the progression of CKD.
