Dialysis Services

Dialysis — also called renal replacement therapy — involves using a machine to clean and filter waste from your blood, doing the job of your kidneys when they no longer work properly.

Dialysis treatments are vital for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are near kidney failure or end-stage kidney disease. Dialysis can also help people who have had an acute kidney injury and may only need short-term treatment.

What Is Dialysis?

 Dialysis — also called renal replacement therapy — involves using a machine to clean and filter waste from your blood, doing the job of your kidneys when they no longer work properly.

Dialysis will do everything your kidneys used to do, including:

• Help control your blood pressure.
• Manage your electrolytes.
• Remove extra fluid from your blood.
• Remove toxins from your body that your kidneys used to remove.

What Conditions Do We Treat? 

Dialysis can be used to treat:

• Acute kidney injury.
• Chronic kidney disease (CKD) (stage 5).
• Kidney failure.

Who’s Eligible for Dialysis?

If your kidneys aren’t working properly due to acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, or end-stage kidney disease, you may be eligible for dialysis. Your doctor will let you know if dialysis is right for you.

What Dialysis Services Do We Offer? 

There are two basic forms of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Both can accomplish the same goals.

Hemodialysis

During hemodialysis, you are connected to a dialysis machine, which pulls blood out of your body, cleans it, and returns the cleaned blood to your body. The “cleaning" process replaces what your kidney used to do.

The machine cleans your blood using an artificial membrane called a dialyzer. The machine is used for about four hours at a time, three to four times weekly, either at your home or in a dialysis clinic.

Peritoneal dialysis

Instead of using the artificial membrane dialyzer, peritoneal dialysis uses a membrane from your own body called the peritoneum. The peritoneum is a sac behind your abdominal muscles and in front of your intestines. 

The peritoneum is filled with clean fluid. Toxins from your body gradually flow into the clean fluid. A few hours later, the fluid that contains toxins is drained from your peritoneal sac, which removes the toxins from your body. The peritoneal sac is then filled with clean fluid, and the process repeats itself. This exchange is done four or five times per day or can be done with a machine overnight while you sleep.

Where do you offer dialysis treatment?

You can have dialysis treatment in a clinic or at your home. Your doctor and treatment team will discuss your treatment options with you. Which one you choose will depend on what works best with your schedule and makes you feel the best.

Dialysis options include:

• Hemodialysis in the clinic — Most people on dialysis go to a clinic three times a week for four hours each time. You will be in a large, open room with other people who are also having dialysis treatment.
• Hemodialysis at home — Home hemodialysis sessions are shorter but are performed more often than three times per week.
• Peritoneal dialysis at home — This process can be done with four to five fluid exchanges daily or by using a peritoneal dialysis machine nightly. The machine drains old fluid and fills your peritoneum with clean fluid multiple times as you sleep.

What Can I Expect? 

What to expect during dialysis depends on what type you choose. Most people receive in-clinic hemodialysis.

What to expect with in-clinic dialysis

If you choose hemodialysis in a dialysis clinic, you will:

• Be in a large open space with other people having dialysis.
• Have a comfortable recliner to sit in during treatment.
• Meet with a health care provider once a week, and your kidney doctor once a month.
• See dialysis nurses and technicians rotating the floor, helping you with your care.
• Spend about four hours on the dialysis machine each time and come to dialysis three times per week. Most people use this time to watch a movie, read a book, or take a nap.

What to expect with at-home dialysis

During home dialysis, you have more privacy, but also need to:

• Learn how to use and maintain the dialyzer.
• Learn how to use the needle or dialysis catheter yourself.
• Visit your kidney doctor for monthly follow-up appointments.

Why Choose UPMC for Dialysis Care? 

When you choose UPMC for dialysis care, you will receive:

• Access to world-class nephrology expertise — Our world-renowned experts treat the full spectrum of kidney diseases using the latest diagnostic and treatment techniques.
• A full range of treatment options — We'll work with you to develop a treatment plan that treats your condition, reduces symptoms, and improves your quality of life.
• Multidisciplinary care — We partner with special dialysis clinics, experts in supportive care, and kidney transplant surgeons to ensure you receive complete care.

By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-04-24.