Kidney dialysis: When is it time to stop?

Kidney dialysis: When is it time to stop?

By Mayo Clinic Staff
Mar 12, 2007

Q. My 82-year-old husband has been on dialysis for a year. He is not a good candidate for a kidney transplant. How will I know when dialysis is no longer working and should be discontinued?

A. Kidney dialysis does some of the work of your kidneys when your kidneys are unable to do it themselves. This includes removing excess fluids and waste products from your blood, restoring electrolyte levels and helping to control your blood pressure.

To determine how well kidney dialysis is working, the doctor can check your husband's weight and blood pressure before and after each session. Regular blood tests, such as those measuring urea and creatinine levels, also help assess the effectiveness of the treatment. Any desired changes in these results can be made with adjustments to the dialysis treatment.

However, kidney dialysis is only part of your husband's treatment. He must also adjust to fluid and dietary restrictions and take medications. In addition, dialysis impacts his time and schedule. Your husband must go to the dialysis center several times a week. Activities must be scheduled around the treatments. Dialysis may leave your husband feeling "washed out." Worsening health, depression and complications of dialysis may also affect how your husband feels about continuing treatment.

If the dialysis center doesn't periodically review your husband's overall situation, you should ask them to do so. These periodic reviews — which should include input from you and your husband as well as his doctors and dialysis team — are needed to determine how well the treatment is working.

If your husband is frustrated with a specific treatment or another medical problem, discuss it with his doctor. His doctor may be able to make some changes in the treatment that would improve his situation.

There may come a time when your husband feels he wants to stop kidney dialysis. Although he has the right to discontinue treatment, it's important to discuss the decision carefully with loved ones as well as your husband's treatment team.

Original Article:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kidney-dialysis/AN01564