What are the treatments for End-Stage-Renal Disease (ESRD)?
When the kidneys fail completely, 2 options are available to sustain life: dialysis or transplantation. 1) DIALYSIS means that the blood will get cleaned from waste products and fluid removed as needed. There are 2 types of dialysis: • Peritoneal dialysis which is used by many children with kidney failure because it is performed at home by the parents and/or child. Dialysis fluid (clean) is infused in the child abdomen through a small tube that has been placed by a surgeon. After a certain amount of time, it is drained through the same tube, removing with it the wastes products. It is most often performed every night while the child is sleeping, with the help of a machine that automatically allows the fluid to flow in and out of the abdomen. • Hemodialysis is performed 3 days per week, 3 to 4 hours per session in a Dialysis unit. The blood comes from the child through a tube, is run through a dialysis machine which filters the waste products and removes fluid as needed, and is then ret
