IN-CENTER DIALYSIS (HEMODIALYSIS): A treatment method for dialysis patients in which the patient’s blood flows through plastic bloodlines into a special filter, the dialyzer. In the dialyzer, waste products from metabolic processes and excess water are removed from the blood and transported away in the dialysate. Afterwards, the purified blood is returned to the patient’s body. The process is controlled by a hemodialysis machine that pumps blood, adds anticoagulants, regulates the purification process, and controls the mixing of the dialysate and its flow rate through the system. A patient typically receives three treatments per week, each lasting between three and six hours.

HOME HEMODIALYSIS: For some dialysis patients, home hemodialysis (HHD) presents a viable alternative to in-center dialysis. Studies have shown that patients perceive significant benefits when dialyzing at home. More flexibility in choosing the time of day to perform dialysis gives them greater freedom in their life. As a result, they often feel better, both emotionally and physically, after converting to dialysis at home.

PERITONEAL DIALYSIS: A treatment method that uses the patient’s peritoneum, i.e. the lining covering the inner wall of the abdominal cavity and the abdominal organs, as the dialyzing membrane. A sterile dialysate is introduced and removed through a catheter that has been surgically implanted into the patient’s abdominal cavity. The solution absorbs toxins and removes them together with excess water. Most treatments are supported by a machine – the cycler – and are administered by patients at home or at work several times a day or during the night.