Dialysis

When your kidneys are healthy, they clean your blood. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy. When your kidneys fail, you need treatment to replace the work your kidneys used to do. Unless you have a kidney transplant, you will need a treatment called dialysis.

What is Dialysis?

Dialysis is a treatment method that replicates the function of the kidneys when they are failing. In healthy individuals, the kidneys work to filter and remove waste products, excess fluid, salts and toxins from the blood.

Dialysis Types

Indications for Dialysis

Renal Replacement Therapy

Benefits and Disadvantages of Dialysis

Latest Dialysis News and Research

GLP-1 receptor agonists prove effective for kidney and cardiovascular outcomes

The biggest and most comprehensive analysis of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes shows they have significant benefits in people with and without diabetes.

25 Nov 2024

More than half of all US adults are eligible for semaglutide therapy

Over 137 million US adults are eligible for semaglutide, driven by expanding indications for diabetes, weight management, and cardiovascular disease prevention.

20 Nov 2024

UBC researchers develop coating to make medical devices safer for patients

University of B.C. researchers have developed a groundbreaking coating that could make medical devices safer for millions of patients, reducing the risks associated with blood clots and dangerous bleeding.

12 Nov 2024

The global challenge of weight-related issues in kidney disease

A new nationwide study from Japan spanning a 14 year study period has revealed an increasing trend of overweight and obesity in patients with the incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).

6 Nov 2024

Vitamin K2 reduces the frequency, intensity, and duration of nighttime leg cramps

A study reveals vitamin K2 significantly lowers the frequency and intensity of nocturnal leg cramps in individuals over 65, enhancing symptom management.

30 Oct 2024

Elucidating the mechanisms behind kidney development

To Alex Hughes, Assistant Professor in Bioengineering within Penn Engineering and in Cell and Developmental Biology within Penn Medicine, the kidney is a work of art. "I find the development of the kidney to be a really beautiful process," says Hughes.

28 Oct 2024

Diabetes drug semaglutide proves beneficial for patients with chronic kidney damage and obesity

The diabetes drug semaglutide, also known as Ozempic, has a positive effect for patients with chronic kidney damage and obesity. They

26 Oct 2024

Understanding climate change effects on end stage kidney disease patients

Climate change is driving more extreme heat and more air pollution from wildfires, each of which put human health at risk.

24 Oct 2024

Scurvy may be making a comeback amid economic strain

The scourge of scurvy, which is caused by vitamin C deficiency, may be re-emerging amid the cost of living crisis and the rise in weight loss (bariatric) surgery, suggest doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports after treating a middle-aged man with the condition.

22 Oct 2024

Geriatric Surgery Verification program reduces rates of death after surgery

Implementing the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) program can reduce rates of death after surgery and increase the percentage of patients with documentation standards, such as advanced care directives, according to two studies being presented at the ACS Clinical Congress 2024 in San Francisco, California.

18 Oct 2024

Mountain town confronts an unexpected public health catastrophe

Before Hurricane Helene, had you stopped by one of the many breweries, art galleries, or award-winning restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina, and spoken with anyone who lives in these parts — including me — most would have told you they felt pretty safe from climate disasters.

18 Oct 2024

Study suggests chain fertility clinics improve IVF outcomes

In the U.S., demand for in vitro fertilization (IVF) increased almost 140% between 2004 and 2018. Among other things, this trend suggests a business opportunity; in that same span of time the market share of for-profit chain clinics grew from 5% to 20%, with chains now performing over 40% of IVF treatment cycles nationwide.

17 Oct 2024

Patients are relying on Lyft, Uber to travel far distances to medical care

When Lyft driver Tramaine Carr transports seniors and sick patients to hospitals in Atlanta, she feels like both a friend and a social worker.

17 Oct 2024

WHO reports alarming attacks on health care in Lebanon

Since the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon on 17 September 2024, WHO has verified 23 attacks on health care in Lebanon that have led to 72 deaths and 43 injuries among health workers and patients.

15 Oct 2024

Could heparin offer new hope in the fight against dementia?

Heparin therapy delays Alzheimer's diagnosis by one to two years, offering potential insights into new protective treatments. Large-scale health records show a promising association between the anticoagulant and delayed dementia onset.

10 Oct 2024

Ethnic and racial disparities in accessibility to kidney transplants

The study emphasizes the critical need for personalized treatments to address the distinct challenges encountered by each ethnic and racial group along the renal transplantation care continuum.

9 Oct 2024

FDA’s promised rules on pulse oximeters unlikely to end decades of racial bias

The patient was in his 60s, an African American man with emphysema. The oximeter placed on his fingertip registered well above the 88% blood oxygen saturation level that signals an urgent risk of organ failure and death.

7 Oct 2024

KitNewCare launches event to foster collaborative innovation towards sustainable kidney care

On 16 October 2024, KitNewCare will host its Innovation Challenge, an event designed to foster collaborative innovation towards achieving sustainability in kidney care.

4 Oct 2024

New FDA award fuels research into autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease

Critical Path Institute (C-Path) is thrilled to announce its Polycystic Kidney Disease Outcomes Consortium (PKDOC) has been awarded an Autosomal Dominant Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease (ADTKD) focused Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) contract from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

24 Sep 2024

Incidence and risk factors of an invasive fungal lung infection among COVID-19 patients

Study reveals 0.4%-2.7% incidence of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis in severe patients, highlighting significant mortality risks and risk factors.

24 Sep 2024