Imagine an in-center hemodialysis program that doesn't intrude on your daily schedule, delivers better results and makes you feel better than conventional dialysis. That's nocturnal dialysis. In-center nocturnal dialysis replaces the familiar three-hour daytime sessions, three times a week, with three dialyze-while-you-sleep nighttime sessions.

More is Better - and Better for You
In the U.S., most patients hemodialyze for three to four hours, three times a week in a clinic. After studying dialysis treatment programs in different countries, it was discovered that the best outcomes were in France, where patients are hemodialyzed for eight hours, three days a week. This supported the idea that "more is better."

But for American hemodialysis patients, eight hours of dialysis, three times a week would be a huge economic and social challenge. For this reason, nocturnal dialysis was created to give patients the option of dialyzing in-center for longer periods of time -- while sleeping. So patients can get the treatment they need and preserve their normal schedule of work, school and family activities.

Why nocturnal dialysis?

• Feel better, more alert and more energetic
• Have more time for daytime activities -- work, school, play and family
• Save money due to fewer hospital visits and fewer medications

The health benefits of nocturnal dialysis include lower blood pressure, reduction in medications, alleviation of sleep apnea, and improved dialysis results.

High and frequent doses of radiation for dialysis patients put them at serious and significant risk of developing cancer. Many patients receive high doses of radiation often over long periods, both risk factors for cancer. Researchers tracked 106 dialysis patients for approximately three years.

They gathered data from hospital records and calculated their radiation exposure. On average, patients received the equivalent of approximately 1000 chest radiograms per year. CT scans accounted for 76 percent of the total radiation dose, while accounting for only 19 percent of the total number of radiological procedures. The researchers found that 22 patients received low doses of radiation each year, 51 received moderate doses, 22 received high doses, and 11 received very high doses. Seventeen patients were exposed to radiation at levels associated with a substantial increase in risk for cancer-related death. Radiation doses were higher in younger patients and in patients on transplant waiting lists.