Dialysis
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Managing your kidney disease and dialysis treatments can be exhausting. You want to find a way to manage your disease, so it doesn't manage you. We're here to make your experience as easy and safe as we can.
As one of the largest academic dialysis programs in the country, we have a unique depth of expertise that few centers can match. Our team includes nephrologists, nurses, patient care technicians, certified dietitians and social workers. Together, we focus on providing you with the best possible care available.
Is Dialysis Right for Me?
If your kidney function is declining and other treatments, such as medications and lifestyle changes, aren't working, dialysis can offer life-saving care.
You may benefit from dialysis if you:
- Have advanced CKD and are approaching kidney failure
- Are open to making lifestyle changes, including changes to your diet and staying physically active through regular exercise
- Can tolerate the physical demands of dialysis, such as sitting in a chair for long periods of time (in-center hemodialysis only) or having a catheter surgically attached to your abdomen (peritoneal dialysis only)
- Are able to take care of yourself between treatments, either on your own or with the help of a friend or family member
- Don't have other life-limiting illnesses, such as heart failure or lung cancer
- Are ineligible for a kidney transplant, or are eligible and are waiting for a donor's kidney
The Right Dialysis for You
We offer different types of dialysis to fit your needs, including:
- Home dialysis, including peritoneal, home hemodialysis, and both short daily and nocturnal dialysis
- In-center hemodialysis
In-Center or Home Dialysis
Managing your kidney disease and treatment can be overwhelming, so finding the right type of dialysis for you is important. UVA Health offers two different types of dialysis, home or in-center.
When we talk about kidney disease advancing, we talk about replacing kidney function as best as we can. For the vast majority of patients, the best therapy to replace their native kidney function is a transplant, but we know that not everyone is going to be a candidate for transplant therapy. And that�s where dialysis comes in. Dialysis is basically replacing the functions of the kidney, mechanically. UVA is very well positioned to provide that therapy for our patients. We provide all modalities of dialysis therapy. Traditionally, patients go into a clinic and they receive this therapy three times a week, and we have that opportunity for patients at 11 centers across central Virginia where we can provide UVA care out in the community. They don�t have to come to the University for that. But in addition to that, we provide all modalities of home dialysis therapy. And we�re really great fans of letting dialysis patients go home and being in control of the therapy themselves. This has shown much better quality of life, and again, allows patients to really maintain their current lifestyle without having to move it around the dialysis therapy. And that�s really the best option for patients who are awaiting a transplant.