A new comprehensive dialysis center at Intermountain Medical Center has opened in Salt Lake Valley.
Patients undergoing dialysis care in the past attended a center previously known as Central Valley Dialysis. The group recently changed its name to Intermountain Medical Center Dialysis Services and opened the state-of-the-art location at 74 West Vine Street in Murray.
According to an Intermountain Medical Center press release, this comprehensive dialysis program treats almost 150 patients by a staff of 25. The program includes inpatient dialysis treatment and three other outpatient clinics in Salt Lake City, Tooele and Richfield.
Intermountain Medical Center’s press release shared the story of Heidi Naylor, “a patient suffering from polycystic kidney disease who’s been receiving dialysis for eight years and is thrilled to have a new center to receive her life-saving treatments.”
“I’m excited because I know a lot of care has gone into it. It’s exciting because it’s all state-of-the-art, and they’ve been working on it forever,” Naylor said.
Kidney.org describes dialysis as a kidney replacement. “Dialysis replaces some of these (kidneys’) functions when they no longer work to remove enough wastes and fluid from your blood to keep you healthy.”
For some, dialysis is what keeps them alive to spend more time with their loved ones.
“In some cases of sudden or acute kidney failure, dialysis may only be needed for a short time until the kidneys get better,” Kidney.org stated. “However, when chronic kidney disease progresses to kidney failure over time, your kidneys do not get better and you will need dialysis for the rest of your life unless you are able to receive a kidney transplant.”
“To this day or if I have a bad day or a weary day, I am so grateful I have it,” Naylor said. “If I didn’t have dialysis, I wouldn’t be able to be with my three kids or my husband. My husband calls it the extender — it’s the life extender.”
There are several benefits of the new Intermountain Medical Center campus dialysis treatment center. There is an increase in space, going from 21 dialysis stations to 28, a more efficient and comfortable treatment process due to the new state-of-the-art machines, and it is located in a convenient location, adjacent to the medical center for necessary hospital treatments and across the street from Trax, Frontrunner and Interstate 15.
There are two different kinds of dialysis treatments, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. According to Kidney.org, “In hemodialysis, an artificial kidney is used to remove waste and extra chemicals and fluid from your blood.” In Peritoneal dialysis, your blood is cleaned inside of your body; “a plastic tube is placed into your abdomen and during the treatment it is slowly filled with dialysate which draws out and contains the extra fluid and waste products.”
It is important for patients to feel comfortable when they are receiving dialysis treatment because it is a long and frequent occurrence. Kidney.org estimates that hemodialysis treatments take at least four hours and are done three times a week.
“I’ve seen dialysis for 30 years, and this place just blows my mind: It’s awesome,” Naylor said. “It’s hard to believe all of the enhancements they’ve made over the years.”
