What You Need To Know: Flu Shots | Visitor Restrictions.

Menu
Close Search Opener

Dialysis

When your kidneys stop working, your body needs a new way to do the work your kidneys used to. One option to help your body function without your kidneys is dialysis. A second option is kidney transplantation.

Dialysis is the most common treatment for kidney failure. Advances in the field of dialysis enable you to receive treatment at a dialysis center or in the comfort of your own home. Our nephrologists, in partnership with Henry Ford’s dialysis provider partner Greenfield Health Systems, work with you to determine the treatment choice that is best for you and your lifestyle.

What is dialysis?

Dialysis keeps your body in chemical balance by keeping a safe level of calcium, sodium and potassium in your body and removing wastes. Dialysis also regulates fluid status in the body, which helps control blood pressure. There are two types:

  • Hemodialysis: Done at a dialysis center, a machine serves as an artificial kidney and filters the blood to remove wastes and extra fluids through tubes connecting you to the machine. Instead of going to a dialysis center, the treatment also can be done in your home.
  • Peritoneal dialysis: This is the most common form of at-home dialysis and uses a thin membrane called the peritoneum to perform the process. A fluid called dialysate fills the abdomen and pulls wastes and extra fluid from the blood using the peritoneal membrane as a filter. Once the wastes have been absorbed, the dialysate is drained and the abdomen is filled with fresh dialysate. This process is repeated daily several times under your doctor’s supervision.

How does dialysis affect my lifestyle?

Many dialysis patients live normal, active lives for years. This is dependent, however, on several factors, including your medical condition, age and being able to follow a consistent treatment schedule.

Is there a dialysis center nearby?

For your convenience, we offer numerous locations throughout the metro Detroit area.

Take the next step
Let us help you schedule an appointment.
Request an Appointment
Close

Schedule Appointment Online

If you are having an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. Please do not utilize this scheduling feature for urgent medical situations.

For your safety please select a MyChart Video Visit on Demand or call our MyCare Advice Line at 844-262-1949 before scheduling if: You currently have a temperature greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, you are experiencing a new loss of taste and/or sense of smell, in the past 21 days, you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, in the past 14 days, you have had contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19. Or, you have experienced two or more of the following symptoms in the last 3 days: fever, chills, drenching sweats, new cough, shortness of breath, body aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion, or nausea/vomiting/diarrhea.

Henry Ford Health System is committed to ensuring our Deaf or hard-of-hearing patients and visitors have equal access to all services. We provide the appropriate auxiliary aids and services, including qualified sign language interpreters, TTYs and other assistive listening devices, at no cost. To request assistance, call 313-916-1896 or email CommunicationAccess@hfhs.org.

Schedule Appointment for