Home Dialysis

Houston Kidney Specialists Center - - Nephrology

Nephrology & Internal Medicine located in Cypress and North Houston Area, TX

Nephrology & Internal Medicine & Nephrology located in Willowbrook Office, Houston, TX & Memorial Hermann Cypress, Cypress, TX

End-stage kidney failure requires an ongoing treatment called dialysis, which functions for your kidneys using a machine called a dialyzer. At Houston Kidney Specialists Center’s four locations in Houston and Cypress, Texas, the team often recommends home dialysis to patients willing to learn to perform their own treatment for more flexibility. To learn more about how home dialysis works, call Houston Kidney Specialists Center, or book an appointment online today.

Home Dialysis Q & A

What is home dialysis?

If you have end-stage kidney failure, you need to undergo dialysis to simulate your kidneys’ function. Just like healthy functioning kidneys, dialysis filters your blood of salt, excess water, and waste. Dialysis also helps control your blood pressure and keeps certain nutrients in your blood, like potassium and bicarbonate.

During dialysis, your blood travels through a network of tubes and into a machine called a dialyzer. After the dialyzer filters it, it returns to your body. It filters only a small amount of your blood at a time so that most of your blood remains in your body at any given point during the process.

With traditional dialysis, you must travel to a clinic or dialysis center to undergo the treatment several times per week. With home dialysis, you can complete the process in the comfort of your house and avoid the extra time and effort it takes to travel to another location.

The Houston Kidney Specialists Center team teaches and trains you to treat yourself using a home dialyzer.

Which type of home dialysis should I consider?

There are several types of home dialysis that the team at Houston Kidney Specialists Center can guide you through. You might be a candidate for home dialysis if your treatment involves one of these three dialysis types:

Conventional dialysis

Conventional home dialysis happens three times weekly for 3-4 hours or longer.

Short daily dialysis

Short daily dialysis happens 5-7 times a week for about two hours each treatment.

Nocturnal dialysis

Nocturnal dialysis involves long and slow treatments at night as you sleep, either every other night or six nights per week.

The team at Houston Kidney Specialists Center can give you more information about each type of dialysis and help you choose the best one for you.

What are the benefits of home dialysis?

Many patients prefer home dialysis over traditional in-office dialysis because of the many advantages and conveniences it offers. A few notable benefits of home dialysis are:

More scheduling flexibility
Learning more about how your treatment works
Less need for medication
Fewer trips to the office

Of course, home dialysis isn’t the best option for every patient because it involves a lot of learning and responsibility. The team at Houston Kidney Specialists Center can help you decide whether home dialysis or traditional dialysis is the best option for your kidney failure treatment.

For more information about home dialysis, call Houston Kidney Specialists Center, or book your visit online today.