MASSENA – The Massena Memorial Hospital Dialysis Center is now offering home dialysis for kidney disease patients.

This allows patients to benefit from receiving the treatment in the convenience of home as well as acute care dialysis at the hospital if they are admitted to the hospital.

The center assists community members who would like to learn more about kidney disease including: signs & symptoms, prevention, and treatment options to call the center.

“The ability to receive dialysis treatments locally by the same dialysis nurses that they are accustomed to will help to minimize the burden that exists when a hospitalization is needed,” said Darlena James, R.N., Director of MMH Dialysis Center.

“Peritoneal dialysis training and service will allow us the opportunity to offer our patients an alternate modality of treatment for End Stage Renal Disease. Home dialysis allows patients more flexibility and independence, and we are pleased to be able to offer this service,” she added.

What is peritoneal dialysis and how does it work?

In this type of dialysis, your blood is cleaned inside your body. The doctor will do surgery to place a plastic tube called a catheter into your abdomen (belly) to make an access.

During the treatment, your abdominal area (called the peritoneal cavity) is slowly filled with dialysate through the catheter. The blood stays in the arteries and veins that line your peritoneal cavity. Extra fluid and waste products are drawn out of your blood and into the dialysate. There are two major kinds of peritoneal dialysis.

What are the different kinds of peritoneal dialysis and how do they work?

There are several kinds of peritoneal dialysis but two major ones are:

Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) and Continuous Cycling Peritoneal Dialysis (CCPD).

Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) is the only type of peritoneal dialysis that is done without machines. You do this yourself, usually four or five times a day at home and/or at work. You put a bag of dialysate (about two quarts) into your peritoneal cavity through the catheter.

The dialysate stays there for about four or five hours before it is drained back into the bag and thrown away. This is called an exchange. You use a new bag of dialysate each time you do an exchange. While the dialysate is in your peritoneal cavity, you can go about your usual activities at work, at school or at home.

Continuous Cycling Peritoneal Dialysis (CCPD) usually is done at home using a special machine called a cycler. This is similar to CAPD except that a number of cycles (exchanges) occur. Each cycle usually lasts 1-1/2 hours and exchanges are done throughout the night while you sleep.

How will Peritoneal Dialysis, PD, affect your lifestyle?

Most people enjoy the flexibility and independences that they have with PD. Your dietitian can help you manage your diet.

It is very important to follow the meal plan recommended by your dietitian in order to avoid malnutrition. Also, poor diet can cause depression, tiredness, and a lower quality of life.

You can do most sports and exercise after checking with your doctor. People on PD can lead normal lives. It is easy to adjust the treatment schedule according to your work, school, or travel plans because you are in charge of your own treatment.

What is acute care dialysis?

For kidney disease/dialysis patients facing to be admitted to a hospital, they can now rest assured knowing they can be admitted to MMH. Dialysis treatments cannot be missed – even while in the hospital.

With the addition of acute dialysis services at MMH, many dialysis patients needing to be hospitalized will be able to stay in Massena for their health care needs.

Previously, if a dialysis patient needed to be admitted for any reason, it was necessary for them to travel to a facility that offered acute dialysis services; in many cases this meant Plattsburgh, which placed additional burden on the patients and their families.

For more information about the options for kidney disease patients call the MMH Dialysis Center at 705-0101 and ask for the Director, Darlena James. Or to make an appointment with Dr. Mumtaz, Nephrologist, call 842-3043.