Overnight hemodialysis, also called nocturnal hemodialysis, is performed at night while the patient is sleeping. Since patients with severe kidney disorders often spend hours strapped to the machine in a dialysis center, usually three times a week, nighttime dialysis gives patients more time for themselves during the day.
This form of dialysis is potentially gentler on the body, with several patients claiming improved energy levels, fewer medications and fewer dietary restrictions from longer dialysis sessions. Additionally, longer hemodialysis sessions may improve cardiac damage caused by high blood pressure, in addition to providing better phosphate control. It can also sometimes lead to faster recovery time, as patients on nighttime hemodialysis report feeling less fatigue than those on conventional daytime hemodialysis sessions.
“Night hemodialysis offers patients with severe kidney disease several social and medicinal benefits. We are exceptionally proud to launch this service which reinforces our commitment to meeting the diverse needs of the community we serve. This is a tremendous boost for kidney care services in the UAE, and we believe the community will greatly benefit from this new treatment option. While the new service is available at SKC Central, we plan to expand its reach further to make it more accessible to our patients,” said Dr. Stephen Holt, Director Professor and CEO of SKC.
The services are open to any renal patient on regular hemodialysis wishing to dialyze overnight, provided they are eligible to undergo dialysis in Abu Dhabi. In addition, patients will have to travel to and from the Mafraq dialysis center on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.
The SKC center provides patients with a quality bed and linens, dim lighting to aid sleep, earplugs, monitoring systems, and meals or snacks as needed to make their experience as comfortable as possible.