SEHA Kidney Care

Peritoneal dialysis is a type of treatment for people with kidney failure, also known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It's an alternative to haemodialysis, which involves using a machine to clean the blood outside of the body.

SEHA Kidney Care (SKC) operate the largest peritoneal dialysis service in the UAE with over 120 patients currently maintained on this excellent alternative to haemodialysis which is done at home by patients or their carers at home.

In peritoneal dialysis, a special fluid called dialysate is inserted into the abdominal cavity through a catheter. The peritoneum, a thin layer of tissue that lines the abdominal cavity, acts as a filter, allowing waste products and excess fluids to pass through and be removed from the body.

Here's how it works:

• The dialysate fluid is drained into the abdominal cavity through a catheter, which is usually placed in the lower abdomen.
• The dialysate absorbs the waste products from the blood
• The dialysate fluid is then drained from the abdominal cavity, taking the waste products with it.
• The process is repeated several times a day, usually at home.

Peritoneal dialysis is usually done at home, and patients can choose from two main types:

• Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD): This involves manually filling and draining the dialysate fluid several (2-4) times a day.
• Automated peritoneal dialysis (APD): This uses a machine to automate the process, filling and draining the dialysate fluid, often at night while the patient sleeps.

Peritoneal dialysis is a convenient and flexible treatment option for many people with ESRD, allowing them to maintain a more normal lifestyle and reduce the need for frequent hospital visits.

To help you decide which form of dialysis is right for you speak to our knowledgeable team of doctors and nurses at SEHA Kidney Care (SKC) or try this website

SEHA Kidney Care (SKC) offers a bespoke service of the highest quality home HDF service to deliver the same quality HDF that we can provide at our dialysis centres to patients who meet the DoH criteria to provide a home dialysis service and who live within our home service catchment area.

Our highly trained nurses can attend to provide the service three times weekly and it involves installing a high quality water plant outside as well as the most modern equipment inside.

We also monitor the data from the dialysis session in real time into our Electronic medical record which means that our team at our dialysis centres can review your progress at a distance.

SEHA Kidney Care (SKC) always prioritises transplantation where possible and works in partnership with the Transplant Institute at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) to offers the highest number of kidney transplants in the UAE, providing:

✔ Live Donor Kidney Transplantation – Enabling life-saving transplants from compatible living donors.

✔ Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation – Expanding access to kidney transplants through the National Organ Donation Program (Hayat). This program was set up at SKC originally and won an award for the fastest growing transplant program in the world in 2024, and was recently became a national program and devolved from SEHA Kidney Care (SKC).

✔ Paired Exchange Transplant Programs – Matching donors and recipients who may be incompatible with their proposed donor for successful transplantation.

✔ Expert Transplant Surgery Team – All surgeries are performed at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) by a dedicated team of transplant specialists, ensuring the highest success rates and patient outcomes.

By integrating cutting-edge technology, specialized dialysis techniques, and world-class transplant expertise, SEHA Kidney Care (SKC) is setting new standards in kidney disease management across the UAE.

In Centre Haemodialysis

Haemodialysis is a treatment for people with kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). It's a way to clean the blood when the kidneys can't do it on their own.

Here's how it works:

• Blood is taken from a large vein through a tube called a catheter or through a large blood vessel in the arm called a fistula.
• The blood is pumped through a special machine called a dialyzer.
• The dialyzer removes waste products, such as urea and excess fluids, and helps to balance salts like sodium, potassium and calcium.
• The cleaned blood is then returned to the body.
• The process is usually done in a Kidney Care center (but note we have many different venues and even at home for some patients who qualify) .
• The process can take several (often 4) hours and is usually repeated 3 times a week.

Haemodiafiltration (HDF)

Haemodiafiltration (HDF) combines haemodialysis and haemofiltration for better toxin removal, better fluid balance, and improved patient outcomes, offering a more effective and comfortable dialysis treatment.

Haemodiafiltration (HDF) is a type of dialysis treatment that's similar to haemodialysis (HD), but with some key differences.

Haemodialysis (HD) uses a dialyzer to remove waste products and excess fluids from the blood. Haemodiafiltration (HDF), uses a different type of dialyzer that is designed to remove waste products and excess fluids more effectively and has been associated with improved survival and quality of life.

Here are some key differences between HD and HDF:

• Dialyzer: HDF uses a special type of dialyzer that's designed to remove waste products and excess fluids more effectively, while preserving important proteins and nutrients.
• Replacement fluid: HDF uses a replacement fluid that's added to the dialysate to help remove waste products more effectively but needs extra special water treatment to ensure it is of the highest purity. SKC have invested highly in water quality and testing to ensure safe HDF therapy.

 Overall, HDF is considered a more advanced and effective form of dialysis that can help to improve the overall health and quality of life for people with kidney failure.

HD/HDF are important treatments for people with kidney failure, helping to remove waste products and excess fluids from the blood, and improving overall health and quality of life.

SKC mainly uses HDF in most patients. A recent study suggested that patients getting HDF compared to HD had a significant improvement in life expectancy.

SKC over 200,000 sessions per year making us by far the largest provider of this service in Abu Dhabi meaning that we have many systems to ensure that the quality of dialysis we provide is exceptional.