Treatment Options of Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5

Taking into consideration the medical condition of Mr. Abhijeet, the diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5 was the shock of their life. His life appeared to have come to an end. Being a dynamic entrepreneur of just 52 years, a father of two daughters there were thousands and thousands of thoughts flashing in his mind.

He was immediately admitted in hospital and underwent haemodialysis after having a catheter (tube) placed on right side of his neck. To his surprise what he saw in during dialysis was that there were many patients who came walking to for dialysis, got there dialysis done and went back home walking.

His treating nephrologist discussed the options of treatment for him and they included:

• Kidney Transplant
• Haemodialysis
• Peritoneal Dialysis

Option 1 : Kidney Transplant

Kidney transplant needs a donor from the family (preferably of the same group or O, however transplant can be done with different blood group also). It is a major surgery. The donor enjoys a normal life after donations and does not have to be on medications. The patient also enjoys a normal life, with less visits to hospital, his dialysis is stopped however he has to take medications life long and has be under regular follow up.

Option 2 : Haemodialysis

The second option of haemodialysis needs AV Fistula creation. It is a small surgery where artery of the hand is joined with the vein and then dialysis can be done from there for long long periods. Haemodialysis can be done at home (infrequent in Indian setting) or in hospital. The patients have to come to hospital three times a week and each dialysis session is of 4 hours. This can disrupt their office schedule but they can have flexible timings of dialysis to carry with their routine activities.

Option 3: Peritoneal Dialysis

The third option is of Peritoneal dialysis. It involves a small surgery where a tube is placed inside the tummy near the umbilicus. There is specially designed fluid which has be filled inside the tummy through the tube and dialysis happens inside the tummy. The fluid is kept inside for variable periods and then drained. This process is usually done during day time 3 – 4 times a day. It can be manual done and also by a machine when it is called APD. The machine fills and drains the fluid during night time when the patient is sleeping. For this dialysis the patient does not have to come to hospital. This can be done at home.

Newer therapies like wearable artificial kidney, stem call therapy are still in experimental stage.

Mr. Abhijeet chose the option of Kidney transplantation, his wife donated him the kidney and both of them enjoyed their life thereafter. If you or your loved is suffering from chronic kidney disease, it is best that  you consult a Nephrologist and weigh your options accordingly.