DOHA: Some 20 to 30 kidney patients undergoing dialysis at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) are likely to get portable devices to do the dialysis on their own at home or workplace, an expert at HMC has said.
The home dialysis project is planned to be implemented next year in collaboration with a leading British hospital, Dr Hassan Al Malki, Senior Nephrology Consultant and head of the Kidney Unit at Hamad General Hospital told the media.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the First Nephrology Conference.
The event concluded at W Hotel Doha on Saturday.
“We are working on a project to provide portable dialysis machines to kidney patients,” Al Sharq quoted Al Malki as saying.
“Of the nearly 500 patients currently undergoing dialysis at HMC, 20 to 30 would benefit from the project once it is implemented.”
Dialysis at home provides more flexibility because patients can perform it at their convenience.
For people who work or go to school, have children to care for or live active lifestyles, home dialysis may be a better option.
Al Malki said the machine will cost around QR150,000 but HMC will give it for free.
A consent by the patient is necessary before providing the machine, because all patients may not opt for home dialysis.
The project will help reduce crowding at various dialysis centres in the country.
“Every four year, we are forced to add a new dialysis centre due the increase in the number of chronic kidney patients in the country,” he said.
The Fahad Bin Jassim dialysis centre in Doha has 18 machines — one for every six patients.
This is on par with international standards, he added.
There are two types of home dialysis treatments: haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
People performing home dialysis don’t have to visit the dialysis centre every other day; instead they generally go twice a month for lab work and to talk with their healthcare professionals.
Home haemodialysis (HHD) has several choices: traditional, short daily and nocturnal.
For home haemodialysis, the patient will have a hemodialysis machine in their home along with the supplies necessary to perform dialysis.
People on HHD usually have a care partner to help them with their treatment.
Peritoneal dialysis patients also need to have room in their homes for their supplies, and for a cycler if they are performing automated peritoneal dialysis.
Usually the cycler is placed bedside so patients can dialyse while they sleep.
Peritoneal dialysis patients usually do not need a trained care partner to help them.
The Peninsula
