Can Dialysis Be Temporary?

Your kidneys are vital organs that filter waste and excess fluid from your blood. When kidneys become damaged due to illness, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), or an acute kidney injury (AKI), your doctor may prescribe dialysis to filter your blood.

Most people start dialysis after their CKD develops into end stage renal disease (ESRD) and will stay on it long-term. CKD is a progressive disease and there is currently no way to reverse kidney damage, meaning that once your kidneys stop working properly, you’ll need a transplant or ongoing dialysis to filter your blood and preserve any remaining kidney function. If you do require long-term dialysis, there are many treatment options available to fit not only your medical needs but your lifestyle as well.

Dialysis cleans your blood when your kidneys can’t. It removes unwanted toxins, waste products, and fluids from your body by filtering your blood, just like your kidneys would. Without regular filtration, waste, toxins, and excess fluid are left to build up in your blood, which leads to significant health complications.

There are 2 types of dialysis: peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD). HD relies on an artificial kidney machine to filter your blood and is available in a center or at your home. PD uses the lining of your inner abdomen—your peritoneum—to filter your blood using a fluid called dialysate and is generally done from home.

While most people on dialysis will stay on it for the long term, dialysis can be temporary in cases where kidneys abruptly lose the ability to filter and clean your blood. Then, doctors may recommend dialysis for a short time until your kidneys recover function.

Some situations that may cause AKI and call for temporary dialysis include¹:

• Decrease in blood flow to the kidneys caused by heart attack, heart failure, or heart disease
• Direct damage to your kidneys caused by physical injury or toxic medication
• Ureters (your kidneys’ drain tubes) become blocked caused by kidney stones or cancer and waste cannot leave your body through your urine

These situations are rare, and often happen suddenly when a person is already in a hospital setting with a serious injury or illness. In these cases, the attending physician will monitor kidney function and assess when it will be safe to stop treatment as kidney health improves.

There is currently no way to reverse chronic kidney damage, so people with kidney failure need regular dialysis to replace kidney function. The only way to safely stop dialysis is through a successful kidney transplant.

A kidney transplant requires surgery to implant a new kidney from a living or deceased donor into the body of a patient with kidney failure. Talk to your nephrologist and kidney care team if you are interested in transplant as an option.

Most people with ESRD who start dialysis will need it on an ongoing basis. Thankfully, for those who require ongoing treatment, advancements in dialysis technology, such as home therapies, mean that there are more ways than ever to dialyze in a way that fits your lifestyle. With dialysis, it's possible to work, travel, and thrive.