Hemodialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that uses a machine to filter your blood outside your body. At the start of a hemodialysis treatment, a dialysis nurse or technician places two needles into your arm. Once trained by the health care team, some people prefer to insert, or put in, their own needles. A pump on the hemodialysis machine draws your blood through one of the needles into a tube, a few ounces at a time. Your blood travels through the tube to the filter, called a dialyzer. Inside the dialyzer, your blood flows through thin fibers that filter out

• Wastes
• Extra Salt
• Extra Fluid

After the dialyzer filters your blood, a different tube carries your blood back to your body through the second needle.

Hemodialysis can replace part of your kidney function. Hemodialysis is not a cure for kidney failure; however, it can help you feel better and live longer.

You also may need to make changes to your diet, medicines, and liquid intake. Changes to your diet and liquid intake and the number of medicines you need will all depend on the amount of kidney function you have left and whether you receive treatments three times a week or more often.