Dialysis

Hemodialysis

A machine and special filter remove wastes and excess fluid from your blood. This treatment is available for both inpatients at our hospitals and outpatients at our clinics. We have late-afternoon and nocturnal (in the clinic while you sleep) dialysis, as well as a home hemodialysis program.

Peritoneal Dialysis

A dialysis solution is flushed into your abdominal cavity, then drained to remove wastes and fluid. You can give yourself this treatment at home, at work, or while traveling. We also offer peritoneal dialysis for inpatients at our medical center.

Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy

For critically ill inpatients who are unable to tolerate the rapid fluid and electrolyte shifts that occur during hemodialysis, this therapy cleans the blood in a more gradual manner.

Our kidney dialysis specialists typically use these tests to monitor how well your treatment is working:

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)

Checks the amount of urea (a waste product) in your blood to evaluate kidney function. BUN levels are typically measured before and after a hemodialysis treatment to make sure you are receiving enough dialysis.

Peritoneal Equilibration Test (PET)

Samples of your blood and used dialysis solution are analyzed to determine how quickly wastes and fluid are being cleared from your blood during peritoneal dialysis.

Ultrasound Imaging

Used to visualize blood vessels to increase the accuracy and success of vascular access procedures and evaluate if your dialysis port is working properly. Immediately before beginning procedures to create dialysis ports, our surgeons often request additional ultrasound images. This extra step provides a real-time snapshot of the blood vessels.

Optimal Care
We use the most recent techniques to make your dialysis -- whether performed in the hospital, in our outpatient clinics, or in the comfort of your own home -- easier and more efficient. Treatments are based on the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative™ (KDOQI) guidelines.

Proactive Patient Safety
Effective hemodialysis requires regular access to your circulatory system. This essential process carries a normal risk of infection or blood vessel damage, but our surgeons aggressively limit those risks by using the best and latest technologies for every procedure.

Team Approach
Our nephrologists, vascular surgeons, interventionists (doctors specializing in minimally-invasive procedures), dialysis nurses, and sonographers (specialists in ultrasound imaging) work together to ensure you get the highest quality of personalized care.

Simpler, Safer Dialysis
Our vascular surgeons use advanced procedures to access blood vessel for dialysis treatment, typically using your tissue's natural defenses to prevent infection. Our surgeons are experts in identifying the safest locations to create surgical ports to access your blood vessels. Better access to your blood vessels helps make dialysis faster and more efficient.

Leaders in Dialysis Research
Duke Nephrology researchers and surgeons recently developed a bioengineered blood vessel that promotes safer blood flow during dialysis by reducing infection and clotting risks. This experimental treatment could potentially help people with end-stage kidney disease avoid hospitalizations and surgeries.