What is Dialysis?

There are 165,000 Americans with chronic renal (kidney) disease. Although it is a challenge, people who have this illness can, and do, lead productive and satisfying lives with their family, friends, and jobs.

Dialysis is a treatment for acute or chronic renal failure. The word dialysis actually means blood cleansing. There are two ways of cleansing the blood:

1. The process which passes a patient's blood through a semipermeable membrane so that waste products or toxins can be filtered out is called hemodialysis. One line pumps blood from the body through the artificial kidney to be filtered and is pumped back into the body through a second connecting site. This procedure is done at the hospital.

2. Another way to remove waste products or toxins is called peritoneal dialysis. This is a process using the person's abdominal innerlining as a membrane to filter and remove the toxins from the body. After being well-trained, this procedure is done by the patient in his or her own home.

The Cottage Program

The Hemodialysis Unit at Galesburg Cottage Hospital has been helping patients with kidney disease for over 25 years! The Cottage Hemodialysis Unit is open Monday through Saturday. Nursing staff are on call when the Unit is closed to provide emergency treatment.

Both acute and chronic renal failure patients who require ongoing dialysis over an extended period of time can be treated at Cottage. The Cottage Hemodialysis Unit provides dialysis for chronic renal failure patients on an outpatient basis. Acute renal failure patients generally receive treatment as an inpatient in one of the Cottage Critical care units, where the individual can be monitored more closely.

The staff at the Cottage Hemodialysis Unit functions as a team. The Medical Director, nurses, dietitians, and social services staff work with each patient to provide an individualized care plan. The Medical Director of the Unit meets with patients prior to their first treatment. The Nursing Coordinator and the Medical Director work together to set up a regular schedule for each patient. Dietitians and social services staff provide ongoing counseling and support.

Patients receive treatments two to three times each week, depending on the amount of kidney function they have. Each treatment takes up to 3 to 4 hours. As patients are dialyzed, they are carefully monitored by the nursing staff.

Arrangements

Any individual with renal failure who has not responded to medical management and is believed to have a good chance of returning to normal daily functions is considered for hemodialysis at Cottage. Upon admission, all new patients and their families go through an extensive educational program, including a discussion of the dialysis process.

Hemodialysis patients who are visiting the Galesburg area are welcome to receive treatment in the Cottage Hemodialysis Unit, providing the schedule permits.

For more information about the Cottage Hemodialysis Unit, call (309) 345-4580.