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Last updated: 11/24/2009
The most frequent complications in hemodialysis relate to the vascular access site where needles are inserted. This can include infection around the access area or the formation of clots in the fistula. Usually, because they are in the fistula itself...
and do not travel to other parts of the body, these clots are not life-threatening. The greatest danger is that clots may block the fistula and would have to be removed surgically. Frequent clotting may require creating a back-up fistula at another site, to allow dialysis when one access is blocked.
There are other complications from dialysis that are not directly related to the vascular access. For example, when the kidneys have shut down, they produce very little urine. Because dialysis is the only way people with kidney failure can balance fluid levels in their bodies, hemodialysis can cause bloating and fluid overload, indicating that too much fluid remains in the body. If fluid overload occurs, the patient will have swollen ankles, puffy eyes, weight gain, and shortness of breath. Fluid overload can cause heart and circulatory problems and fluctuations in blood pressure. Medications may be prescribed and changes in fluid intake or diet may be made to help balance fluids safely in conjunction with dialysis.
Other problems that can occur during or after hemodialysis include:
- Low blood pressure, if fluid and wastes are removed from the blood too quickly.
- Nausea, because of changes in blood pressure.
- Muscle cramps from the removal of too much fluid from the blood.
- Headaches near the end of a dialysis session, due to changes in the concentration of fluid and waste in the blood.
- Fatigue after treatment, lasting sometimes into the next day.
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Other Information
An arteriovenous fistula is an abnormal connection or passageway between an artery and a vein. It may be congenital, surgically created for hemodialysis treatments, or acquired due to pathologic process, such as trauma or erosion of an arterial aneurysm.
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We are trying to balance those kinds of losses with the profitable side of business, which includes doing more cardiac surgeries. An emphasis has been placed on cardiac care because the medium age of residents is increasing, and more people are showing up with symptoms of heart disease.
-Kevin M. Spiegel
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