Dialysis

When your kidneys are healthy, they clean your blood. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy. When your kidneys fail, you need treatment to replace the work your kidneys used to do. Unless you have a kidney transplant, you will need a treatment called dialysis.

What is Dialysis?

Dialysis is a treatment method that replicates the function of the kidneys when they are failing. In healthy individuals, the kidneys work to filter and remove waste products, excess fluid, salts and toxins from the blood.

Indications for Dialysis

Renal Replacement Therapy

Dialysis Types

Benefits and Disadvantages of Dialysis

Latest Dialysis News and Research

Hemoadsorption may improve outcomes in severe poisoning cases

The WHO estimated over 800,000 suicide deaths in 2012, with poisoning a major concern. Three‑quarters of suicides occur in low‑ and middle‑income countries, with an estimated 30% related to pesticides.

30 Oct 2026

Low vitamin B12 is linked to heart disease. Supplements tell a different story

A narrative review published in Nutrition Journal examines how vitamin B12 deficiency may contribute to cardiovascular disease through elevated homocysteine, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and altered methylation. The authors found that B12 supplementation has not consistently prevented heart attacks or cardiovascular deaths in clinical trials, although combined B-vitamin therapy may modestly reduce stroke risk, particularly in populations without folic acid fortification.

27 Oct 2026

Kidney Week 2026 features late-breaking clinical trials in kidney care

The American Society of Nephrology, has selected the following late breaking clinical trials to be presented in-person at Kidney Week 2026 October 22–25.

24 Oct 2026

Potassium binder helps dialysis patients manage dietary restrictions

Dietary potassium restriction is important for managing hyperkalemia, or high blood potassium levels, in individuals on maintenance hemodialysis, but it imposes a substantial day-to-day burden.

22 Oct 2026

Standardized protocol enables safer kidney biopsies in high-risk patients

Results from a prospective study reveal that with standardized precautions, even high-risk patients may safely undergo a kidney biopsy, a cornerstone of kidney diagnostics that is often perceived as dangerous in certain vulnerable patient populations.

22 Oct 2026

Fruits and vegetables may be a better option to improve kidney disease outcomes

In people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), oral sodium bicarbonate is a standard treatment for metabolic acidosis (too much acid buildup in the body), but results from a recent clinical trial indicate that dietary acid reduction with base producing fruits and vegetables may be a better option.

22 Oct 2026

Hurricanes pose long-term health risks for vulnerable older adults

New research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that older adults who rely on electricity-dependent medical devices-such as ventilators, respirators, and dialysis machines-may face substantial health risks during and after hurricanes, especially in communities experiencing severe flooding.

21 Oct 2026

GLP-1 drugs may protect kidney health in people with bipolar disorder

Mayo Clinic researchers found that GLP-1 receptor agonists, medications widely used for diabetes and weight management, were associated with a lower risk of dialysis or kidney transplantation in adults with bipolar disorder and chronic kidney disease.

20 Oct 2026

Is a high-protein diet hard on your kidneys?

From temporary changes in kidney filtration to the competing nutritional needs of older adults and children, researchers examine when high protein intake may shift from adaptation to concern.

5 Oct 2026

UVM receives historic contract to develop medical digital twins

What if doctors could test a customized treatment on a virtual version of a critically ill patient before administering it in real life? That's the promise of medical "digital twins."

30 Sep 2026

Frailty linked to greater cognitive impairment risk in men with chronic kidney disease

New research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Medicine is shedding light on how women and men with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may fare differently as they age and their disease progresses.

23 Sep 2026

Salt-purified seaweed compound suppresses inflammatory and allergic reactions

Food allergies affect an estimated 3%–4% of the global population, yet no definitive cure is currently available.

22 Sep 2026

The FFS (Fight Fibrin Sheath) campaign launches to improve patient lives by tackling dialysis catheters' most common dysfunction

An international coalition of vascular access surgeons, nephrologists, researchers and industry partners today launched the Fight Fibrin Sheath (FFS) campaign, a clinician-led action group working collaboratively to advance research, education and innovation relating to fibrin sheath formation, and to improve vascular access outcomes for dialysis patients worldwide.

22 Sep 2026

New clinical guidelines standardize kidney replacement therapy in ICU patients

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and severe complication in the intensive care unit (ICU). Due to its high incidence, strong correlation with poor prognosis, and substantial consumption of medical resources, AKI has become one of the central challenges in modern critical care medicine.

17 Sep 2026