The kidneys are vital organs inside the body that are crucial for sustaining life with their key functions being to remove the waste products out of our blood and excess fluids out of our own body, regulate our blood pressure, and produce certain hormones that are vital to our body for healthy bones and blood.
Treatment for kidney failure is optional and the individual has the right to refuse treatment that they may do for a variety of reasons including their desire not to be burdened with the practice of dialysis that may only prolong their suffering.
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Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are kinds of dialysis therapy that replace the function of the failing kidneys by essentially filtering the waste products in the bloodstream.
The fundamental difference between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis is that hemodialysis uses a system – artificial kidney – to filter the blood while peritoneal dialysis uses the body's own peritoneal membrane that's situated in the abdomen.
The decision about what method is selected is based upon several factors such as the medical conditions and lifestyle of the person. Hem dialysis is typically performed at a dialysis facility outside of a hospital while peritoneal dialysis can be performed at home.
Complications can occur with both processes with the most common problem related to hemodialysis being vascular access issues, and the most common problem related to peritoneal dialysis being severe abdominal infection.
In certain circumstances where the kidneys have failed, the recommendation could be made to get a kidney transplant in those patients that are thought of as a fantastic candidate for kidney transplantation.
