Chronic kidney disease (CKD) progresses through five stages, with stage five indicating severe kidney dysfunction, also known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). At this stage, patients require renal replacement therapy to survive.

Common Renal Replacement Therapies

The most common renal replacement therapies include hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplantation. Hemodialysis is a widely used method, but it is not suitable for everyone. On the other hand, peritoneal dialysis is usually ideal for all patients, but there is a high risk of infection.

What is hemodialysis?

Generalized hemodialysis includes three forms: hemodialysis (HD), hemodiafiltration (HDF), and hemoperfusion (HP).

Hemodialysis is a medical procedure that uses the principle of diffusion to remove metabolic waste products, harmful substances, and excess fluid from the blood. It is one of the most common renal replacement therapies for patients with end-stage renal disease and can also be used to treat drug or toxin overdose. Diffusion occurs in a dialyzer when a concentration gradient exists across a semipermeable membrane, allowing solutes to move from areas of high concentration to a low concentration until equilibrium is reached. Small molecules are primarily removed from the blood.

Hemodiafiltration is a treatment of combined hemodialysis with hemofiltration, which uses diffusion and convection to remove solutes. Convection is the movement of solutes across a membrane driven by a pressure gradient. This process is faster than diffusion and is particularly effective in removing larger, toxic substances from the blood. This dual mechanism can remove more medium-sized molecules in a shorter time than either modality alone. The frequency of hemodiafiltration is usually recommended once per week.

Hemoperfusion is another procedure in which blood is drawn from the body and circulated through a perfusion device that uses adsorbents such as activated charcoal or resins to bind to and remove metabolic waste products, toxic substances, and drugs from the blood. Patients are advised to receive hemoperfusion once a month.

*The role of adsorption
During hemodialysis, certain proteins, toxins, and drugs in the blood are selectively adsorbed to the surface of the dialysis membrane, thereby facilitating their removal from the blood.

Chengdu Wesley manufactures hemodialysis machines and hemodiafiltration machines that offer accurate ultrafiltration, user-friendly operation, and individualized dialysis treatment plans based on doctors’ advice. Our machines can perform hemoperfusion with hemodialysis and meet the requirements for all three dialysis treatment modalities. With CE certification, our products are widely recognized in international markets.