Acute haemodialysis

Acute hemodialysis is a treatment for acute kidney injury (AKI) that uses a dialysis machine to remove waste and excess fluid from the blood. It’s also used to treat children who have ingested toxins.

How it works

A tube is inserted into a large vein in the body, usually in the arm.

• Blood is removed through the tube and into the dialysis machine
• The blood is treated in the machine and filter
• The filtered blood is returned to the body through the tube

When it’s used

• Acute hemodialysis is used to treat AKI, which can be caused by a sudden injury to the kidneys
• It can also be used to treat children who have ingested toxins
• Patients may only need hemodialysis for a short time until their kidneys recover