Trinity Health :: Services Programs:: Kidney Dialysis

Approximately 217,000 Americans receive kidney dialysis. Since the late 1960s, this procedure has been used in place of kidneys damaged by disease, birth defects, or injury. Dialysis may be temporary (until the kidneys resume functioning), or until the patient receives a transplant, or for a lifetime if those options are not available.

Established in 1977, Trinity’s KDU serves patients from throughout the northwest region of our state, providing some 4,000 hemodialysis treatments annually. The unit is located in Trinity Hospital – St. Joseph’s, 4th Floor, 407 3rd St. SE, Minot, ND.

Hemodialysis is available on site six days a week (Monday through Saturday) for approximately 47 patients, who dialyze 2-3 days a week for 3-4 hours. In addition:

An ambulatory peritoneal dialysis program is also available for qualified patients

The unit offers privacy, convenient parking, quick access, and surroundings designed with patient comfort in mind

Medical staff at the nursing station monitor patients during treatments

Trinity’s KDU is under the medical direction of Nasser Saffarian, MD, a board certified Nephrologist. Call 701-857-5404 for more information.

A smaller unit - Trinity Dialysis Services - is located in Belcourt, North Dakota

What is Hemodialysis?

In very simple terms the kidneys “clean” your blood of waste products. Dialysis mimics the normal function of human kidneys. A pump (the dialysis machine) moves your blood through a filter (called a dialyzer). Blood passes on one side of the filter and a special solution (produced by the machine) passes on the other side. This solution draws excess fluids and waste out of your blood and through the filter. Your blood cells cannot pass through the filter’s fine pores.
Another type of treatment is called peritoneal dialysis. In this method a fluid (dialysate) is put into your abdominal (peritoneal) cavity through a small tube. The fluid draws waste from your blood and is drained from your body through the tube. The most common type of peritoneal dialysis is called Continuous Cyclic Peritoneal Dialysis (CCPD), which is normally done at night with a machine that automatically drains and refills the fluid in the abdomen.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of kidney disease/failure vary, depending on whether the condition is acute or chronic. However, only your physician can make an accurate diagnosis.

Acute kidney failure
Acute kidney failure occurs when the kidneys suddenly stop filtering waste products from your blood. The signs and symptoms may include:

Fluid retention
Bleeding, often in the stomach or intestines
Confusion
Seizures
Coma

Chronic kidney failure

According to the National Kidney Foundation, almost 20 million adult Americans have chronic kidney disease (1 in 9 adults) and most don’t even know it. More than 20 million are at increased risk of developing it. Over time, chronic kidney failure can lead to congestive heart failure, weak bones, stomach ulcers and damage to the central nervous system. Unfortunately, signs and symptoms often don't appear until irreversible damage has occurred. They include:

Abnormal urine tests
High blood pressure
Unexplained weight loss
Anemia
Nausea or vomiting
Malaise or fatigue
Headaches that seem unrelated to any other cause
Decreased urine output
Decreased mental sharpness
Muscle twitches and cramps
Bleeding in the intestinal tract
Yellowish-brown cast to the skin
Unusual itching
Sleep disorders

End-stage renal disease
End-stage renal disease is the final stage of chronic kidney failure. At this point, kidney function is so poor that either dialysis or kidney transplantation is needed to sustain life. A number of complications may develop with end-stage renal disease, depending on how rapidly it occurs, including:

Anemia
High blood pressure
Congestive heart failure
Bone disease
Digestive tract problems
Loss of mental functioning (dementia)

Dialysis is the only treatment for kidney failure. It may also be used as a temporary treatment while awaiting transplant