Haemodialysis (HD) is a treatment for kidney failure. When your kidneys don’t work properly, toxins build up in your bloodstream. Haemodialysis ‘cleans’ your blood using a dialysis machine to remove toxins and excess fluid.
About haemodialysis treatment: how it works, who needs it, how it affects you, side effects, and sources of further information and support.
Easy read, Haemodialysis, Kidney failure, Peritoneal dialysis
Download our easy read patient information booklet about dialysis as a free PDF file to view on your computer, email to others, or print at home.
Haemodialysis works by removing blood from your body, passing it through a filter and returning the cleaned blood back to you. A fistula is usually recommended for adults and children having long-term dialysis.
A tunnelled line is a soft plastic tube, which is inserted into one of the large veins in your chest or neck. It allows your dialysis team to access your blood so that it can be filtered by the haemodialysis machine.
A haemodialysis catheter, known as a vascath, is intended for short-term use. Our patient information resource describes what happens when your vascath is removed, and how to look after yourself after the procedure.
If you’re a kidney patient and you’re finding out about haemodialysis treatment, you’ve probably heard the word ‘fistula’. We explain what you need to know about arteriovenous (AV) fistulas and answer the questions you might have.
Information about how your fistula should be accessed (or needled) during dialysis and how you can check to make sure it is working correctly.
What to do if your fistula or graft bleeds, and information about Kidney Care UK’s bottle top keyring for managing bleeds.
Episode 130
Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast host Dee is joined by Professor Ibi for a deep dive into haemodialysis. Together they share practical tips and unpack how haemodialysis works, how dialysis sessions are structured and what happens when treatments are missed or cut short.
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