
Why do you need hemodialysis?
Healthy kidneys clean your blood and remove extra fluid in the form of urine. They also make hormones your body needs for some important functons. When kidney failure occurs, treatment is needed to replace some of the important jobs your kidneys do. One of the treatments is hemodialysis.
What is a hemodialysis machine?
A hemodialysis machine circulates the patents blood through a special filter called a dialyzer (also called an artficial kidney) to clean your blood.
What is a dialyzer?
Inside the dialyzer, or filter, there are two sides - one for your blood and the other for a fluid called dialysate. A thin membrane separates these two sides. Blood cells, protein and other important things remain in your blood because they are too big to pass-through the membrane.