What Is Kidney Failure?

Kidney disease comes in five stages. Stage 5 (also known as end stage renal disease, or ESRD) is when kidneys function below 10 to 15 percent of their normal capacity. This essentially is known as kidney failure.

In most cases, kidney failure occurs after years of having chronic kidney disease (CKD). Less common is acute kidney failure, a sudden stop of kidney function. Whichever the case may be, it is vital that a person with kidney failure receives a kidney replacement treatment to stay alive.

You have options when it comes to treating kidney failure, the most common of which is dialysis. If you and your doctor find that a kidney transplant is the right treatment for you, you will still need dialysis while waiting for a matching kidney donor. DaVita® offers several dialysis choices that can suit your lifestyle:

In-center hemodialysis
- Get treatments at a dialysis center from caring kidney care professionals and interact with other patients.
Peritoneal dialysis (PD)
- Do shorter treatment cycles when you dialyze at home or work on this needle-free treatment.
Home hemodialysis (HHD)
- Perform hemodialysis in the privacy of your own home, with a trained care partner to help you with treatments.
In-center nocturnal hemodialysis
- Turn sleep time into dialysis treatment time when you stay overnight at the dialysis center.
In-center self care hemodialysis
- Receive training from your kidney care team to become more hands-on when you get dialysis treatment at the center.