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

Climate change is pushing up rates of kidney disease and urological cancers

Climate change is increasing the risk of urological diseases, including cancer and kidney conditions, while urological healthcare itself contributes to environmental harm through high carbon emissions.

29 Jan 2025

NHS introduces genetic test to help reduce kidney failure risk for black donors

Hundreds of potential kidney donors of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage in the UK can now get a simple blood test to help reduce the risk of kidney failure.

28 Jan 2025

Nonpharmacologic pain intervention provides benefits to people with dialysis-dependent kidney failure

Among people with dialysis-dependent kidney failure, a form of psychological therapy called pain coping skills training reduced how much pain got in the way of their daily lives, also known as pain interference.

30 Dec 2024

Breakthrough pig kidney transplant ends dialysis for Alabama woman

An Alabama woman is free from dialysis and in better health after surgeons at NYU Langone Health performed a gene-edited pig kidney transplant last month.

17 Dec 2024

Scientists identify potential therapeutic targets for diabetic kidney disease

New potential therapeutic targets have been identified for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) - the leading cause of kidney failure in the world - that could see patients treated with new gene and drug therapies preventing the disease's progression into end stage kidney failure.

10 Dec 2024

CMS introduces new payment model to improve kidney transplant outcomes

A new final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week for a mandatory alternative payment model called the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model aimed to improve the number of life-saving kidney transplants for patients whose kidneys have failed.

2 Dec 2024

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