Dialysis in Your Bedroom: Patients May Have Easier Way to Be Treated

June 22, 2009— -- Miriam Blum of Tuscon, Ariz., should have died in 2001. Or at least that's what doctors told her before she started home hemodialysis.

For many, at-home treatment has provided a new lease on life. But it's used by less than 10 percent of dialysis patients, according to the U.S. Renal Data System (USRDS), which collects and distributes data about end-stage renal disease in the United States.

At-home hemodialysis is used by less than 1 percent of dialysis patients, according to the USRDS's 2008 year-end study. But the mortality rate for that 1 percent is almost 20 percent lower than that of in-center patients. Though this difference may be due in part to the fact that patients who use at-home hemodialysis are usually younger and healthier than their in-center counterparts, past research has suggested that even when taking these factors into account, these patients still have lower mortality rates.

Blum, now 48, was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at 10. Because she was afflicted so young, complications were likely and did occur; her right leg is amputated below the knee. As a result, she's been on hemodialysis for the past 15 years.

"There are two types of dialysis," says Dr. Jonathan Lorch, medical director at The Rogosin Institute Manhattan Dialysis Center, "peritoneal, where the blood is filtered through the peritoneum, which is a membrane in the abdominal cavity, and hemodialysis, where blood is filtered through a machine."

Peritoneal dialysis can be done alone and doesn't necessarily require a partner, but it's still not for everyone. It creates the opportunity for peritonitis, an infection at the site of dialysis where fluids are pumped into the stomach, and increases the chances of hernia.

"I was on peritoneal dialysis for six years. I worked full time, and my husband and I traveled," said Blum. But complications again ensued. Heart complications are common in diabetes patients on dialysis; Blum suffered a major heart attack in 2001, and has had three open-heart surgeries. She was forced into hemodialysis, beginning with "in-center" treatment.

In-home treatment allows for more frequent sessions, which replicates healthy kidneys better than a three-times-a-week in-center schedule. While healthy kidneys work 24/7, dialysis patients have to rely on their treatment to rid their bodies of toxins all at once. In turn, longer times between sessions mean more toxin buildup.