Types of Dialysis

Home Hemodialysis

In many foreign countries, patients and their relatives are taught how to perform hemodialysis at home, usually at night before sleeping. This can be done anywhere from 3 to 7 nights a week. To perform home hemodialysis, one needs to arrange for:

  • A hemodialysis machine
  • A water supply unit
  • Disposable supplies, medicines, and chemicals
  • A separate room for the procedure

Patients stay connected with their dialysis center in Delhi through telemetry or other means for regular monitoring and assistance.

Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD)

CAPD is more commonly practiced in India. In this procedure, a small plastic catheter is inserted into the patient's abdomen via a simple surgery. The patient and their attendants are taught how to:

  • Instill dialysis fluid into the abdomen through the catheter
  • Drain the used fluid four hours later

This process must be done three times a day, taking all necessary precautions.

Advantages of CAPD

  • It can be done in the comfort of the home, saving time, money, and energy that would otherwise be spent traveling to the hospital for hemodialysis.
  • There is less need for blood transfusion.
  • Fewer restrictions on food and fluid intake are required.
  • The patient can maintain a more normal lifestyle.