Whats the difference between haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis?
Haemodialysis is done with a machine and generally takes place in hospital, three times a week. It takes at least four hours per appointment. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a more flexible, home-based treatment than can easily fit into your everyday lifestyle. Is one form of dialysis better than the other? Patient survival is identical regardless of which type of dialysis you start treatment on. The main issue between the two sorts of treatment is about quality of life. What are the practical considerations between the two types of dialysis? To do PD at home, you’ll need storage space for the supplies of fluid. These are generally delivered at four-weekly intervals (although, if storage is limited, you can have them delivered every two weeks). For haemodialysis, you’ll need to think about: • The distance between your home and a kidney unit. • How ill you are. • Whether you have transport to get to the kidney unit. • Whether you can take time off from your everyday work or duties. Are ther
