Acute Kidney Injury is a sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage, causing a build-up of waste products in your blood and excess fluid in your body. AKI can happen within a few hours or a few days, but it is treatable and your kidneys may recover, unlike in chronic kidney disease where the damage is permanent. Learn the causes and symptoms of Acute Kidney Injury in this program.
In order for a dialysis machine to clean excess fluid or waste material from a person's blood, the patient needs to be connected to the machine, usually for several hours, three times a week. This connection, or fistula, is often made in the patient's arm, where an artery is surgically connected to a vein. Learn more about this access point, or AV fistula, and how it works, by watching this program.
Learn what an implanted access port is and how it works to deliver medication, fluid and nutrients to the body. It also can be used to draw blood samples when needed.
If you are receiving hemodialysis, it's likely that you are connected to the dialysis machine through an AV fistula, probably in your arm. It's very important that this access point, or fistula, is in good working order and is free of infection. Learn how to care for your fistula by watching this program.
