Dialysis

Any dialysis patient is aware of the time spent at a treatment facility to maintain a quality of life that you deserve. All patients at Health Solutions are provided with a safe and comfortable environment as you will be spending a great amount of time with us and we want to ensure that your experience is a positive one at all times.

Every patient at Health Solutions benefits from the following features at our facility:

Knowledgeable and experienced management and staff;
Modern and well maintained machinery employed;
light refreshments and snacks are available at no cost
The unit is an infection free unit

What Is Hemodialysis ?

Hemodialysis is a way to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to do their job adequately. In hemodialysis, blood is removed from the body and filtered through a filter called a dialyzer (artificial kidney) and the filtered blood is returned to the body.

One important step before beginning hemodialysis is preparing a vascular access, a site on your body from which your blood is removed and returned. It will allow for easier and more efficient removal and replacement of your blood with fewer complications. There are three main types of access points for hemodialysis: arteriovenous (AV) fistula, AV graft and central venous catheter

What Happens During Hemodialysis?

During the typical dialysis session, the patient will need to sit or lie comfortably in a chair or bed, where he/she can read, listen to music, watch TV or sleep. Patients are also welcome to use their mobile phone to make any calls, work on a PC, or socializing with other patients. (Free Wi-Fi is provided).

Health Solutions Inc. uses High-flux dialyzers for hemodialysis which allows removal of both small and middle molecular weight solutes and in turn improves the results of dialysis for the patient.

Once the patient is settled in, using sterile technique the patient is connected to the machine to begin dialysis. The lines and the dialyzer are connected to the dialysis machine. The machine safely controls the flow of blood through the blood pump. Each patient based on their prescribed renal regime will have specific settings placed into the machine to ensure appropriate dialysis clearances and adequate fluid removal is achieved. A complete dialysis session usually lasts between 3.5 – 4 hours. The ideal dialysis recommendation regime is dialysis minimum 3 times a week with 3.5 – 4 hour sessions each.

Nurses periodically monitor both the patient and the dialysis machine to ensure patient stability.

Is Hemodialysis Painful ?

Hemodialysis itself is not painful. However, it is possible for the patient to experience some side effects. It is quite common to feel tired after a long session of dialysis. Some patients may have nausea, feel dizzy or have muscle cramps during dialysis. If you have any of these problems, the medical staff will do everything possible to help you cope and re-evaluate your prescribed regime to avoid it from happening again.