Home Hemodialysis

     Home hemodialysis is being able to do dialysis at home instead of going to the dialysis clinic three times a week. With home hemodialysis, usually, a family member and the patient are trained to do the treatment. Training to perform the treatment in a home setting can take 2-3 months to master. Usually, home nurses or the dialysis clinic will teach the partner and patient and slowly give them more responsibility for the treatment. The role of the partner helping perform the dialysis is to insert the dialysis needles, setting up the machine, recording/charting medical information, and disconnecting and cleaning the dialysis machine. Patients themselves may insert the dialysis needed, termed self-cannulation. Two needles must be inserted with HHD to allow the blood to flow from the body to the machine and back into the body. Patients will use the "buttonhole" technique where they reuse the same hole for the needle each time and it creates a hole, such as that of an ear-piercing. It is believed that patients who self-cannulate have a better chance of keeping their vascular access healthy and functioning.  At-home hemodialysis gives the patient the advantage of scheduling treatment at times that are convenient for them. The newest at-home- hemodialysis machines are branded to be user-friendly. They require fewer supplies and are smaller and portable for traveling and storing ease. 

    Another option available for at-home hemodialysis is nocturnal home hemodialysis. The nocturnal hemodialysis machines are more gentle as it is completed for a longer duration. It is more gradual and allows patients to wake up feeling refreshed. Nocturnal hemodialysis is done six times a week. Due to dialysis being completed more frequently, there are fewer nutrition restrictions than normal hemodialysis. Completing either form of hemodialysis at home is beneficial to patients as it gives them more freedom while also completing treatments. After listing the benefits of at-home nocturnal hemodialysis, it is surprising more people do not seek to try this type of dialysis. 



Sources: 

A Brief Overview of Home Hemodialysis. (n.d.). DaVita Dialysis.
     https://www.davita.com/treatment-services/home-hemodialysis/
     a-brief-overview#:~:text=Home%20hemodialysis%20is%20a%20safe%20and%20effective%20
     option,can%20dramatically%20improve%20their%20overall%20quality%20of%20life.

Patient Manual [Leaflet]. (2019). Dialysis Clinic, Inc.

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