| One of the life saving miracles of modern medicine is | | | | that can't be seen with ordinary x-rays. |
| machinery that cleans the blood of impurities. In | | | | Sometimes even an ordinary MRI is not enough and a |
| medicine, dialysis is primarily used to provide an artificial | | | | special process is required to make abnormalities |
| replacement for lost kidney function due to kidney | | | | visible. A liquid, known as a "contrast agent" is injected |
| failure. | | | | into the blood stream. This creates contrast on the |
| Dialysis may be used for patients who have either | | | | MRI picture which makes visible certain abnormalities. |
| temporarily, or permanently lost their kidney function. | | | | The contrast agent is then filtered out of the body |
| While life-saving, dialysis can also pose risks of injury | | | | through the kidneys. However, for dialysis patients and |
| and death to some users. | | | | others with kidney failure the kidneys don't remove the |
| FIRST USE SYNDROME | | | | contrast agent fast enough and the toxic contrast |
| Unfortunately, some bodies don't react well to the use | | | | agent can poison the body. |
| of an artificial kidney (dialysis machine). | | | | Gadolinium is a rare metal which is used in some |
| "First Use Syndrome" is a rare but severe anaphylactic | | | | contrast agents. Recently, doctors have discovered |
| reaction to the artificial kidney. Its symptoms include | | | | that it has a rare and painful side effect known as |
| sneezing, wheezing, shortness of breath, back pain, | | | | Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis. |
| chest pain, or sudden death. | | | | Initial symptoms of the disease include high blood |
| If you find yourself experiencing any of these | | | | pressure, muscle weakness and thick hardened skin. |
| symptoms after your first treatment tell the dialysis | | | | With time victims may suffer pain, burning and itching in |
| tech or call your doctor immediately as First Use | | | | affected areas. With more time, victims may |
| Syndrome can cause sudden death. For more | | | | experience stiffness in skin and joints which completely |
| information on this syndrome see the Wikipedia article | | | | immobilizes them. Some suffer death. |
| on Hemodialysis. | | | | For more info on NSF read the following article on my |
| BLEEDING | | | | site: "MRI Health Risk - Fatal, Incurable Illness." |
| According to Dr. David Fowler, chief medical examiner | | | | STOPPING |
| of the state of Maryland, nearly two dozen kidney | | | | Yes, its true, once you have started dialysis you must |
| dialysis patients in Maryland bled to death during the | | | | be very careful if you choose to opt out of this |
| period 2000-2007. The majority of the 22 deaths | | | | treatment. According to the Renal Unit of the Royal |
| happened while patients were at home alone and | | | | Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland, "for patients already |
| started bleeding, reported Fowler. | | | | on dialysis, surveys in several countries have shown |
| An alert from the Maryland Department of Health and | | | | that stopping dialysis is quite a common cause of |
| Mental Hygiene's Office of Health Care Quality | | | | death." However, these are almost always people |
| explains why this occurs. "For patients with kidney | | | | who have developed other serious illnesses after |
| failure, mechanically cleansing the blood outside the | | | | starting dialysis. |
| body three times a week is the only way the can stay | | | | INFECTION AND CLOTTING |
| alive. However, the long-term access site needed to | | | | Clean your access before and after treatments. Avoid |
| draw and return blood to the body can weaken and | | | | sleeping on the arm of your access as this could |
| fail." | | | | cause clotting which would need to be cleaned out |
| MRI | | | | before you could get a treatment. If you have a |
| An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a picture | | | | catheter place, keep the bandage dry, germs love |
| taking device similar to an x-ray. MRIs can see things | | | | dark, moist places. |