MP visits Llantrisant dialysis unit

visit to dialysis centre Madeleine Moon MP was invited as Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Kidney group to visit the Llantrisant Dialysis Unit run by Fresenius Medical Care as an outreach unit from the Heath Hospital. During the visit Mrs Moon was also able to meet the nursing staff and the patients.

Madeleine said: I was impressed by the smooth running of the unit which has recently been expanded to accommodate 20 dialysis machines able to treat 40 people per day. All of the patients I spoke to were positive about the care and quality of treatment they received from the nursing staff at the unit. It was helpful to be talked though the system used by patients to log into the computer controlled system using a card similar to a credit card. The card accessed the individual’s medical records and recorded that day’s weight and blood pressure as the patient undertook these tests for themselves. The information was then transferred to the patients individually programmed dialysis unit to ensure the correct treatment was available.

Chronic Kidney Disease affects about 9% of the UK population. The prevalence of the disease increases with age and is often associated linked to cardio vascular disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. It is risk associated with obesity. Many people who have CKD are unaware of the risk to their health until they move towards renal failure when they may require dialysis.

Dialysis involves the removal of body wastes and water from the blood. There are two types: haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). In the UK, approximately half of the patients on dialysis have PD and the other half have HD - most patients can have either type. Madeleine visited a Haemodialysis unit in Llantrisant. In haemodialysis the process takes place inside a machine; blood is taken from the body, pumped into the dialysis machine, cleaned and pumped back into the body. It is usually done three times a week, each session lasting 3 to 5 hours. Access to the patient’s blood stream is usually by a dialysis catheter (plastic tube inserted into a large vein) or a fistula (made by joining a vein to an artery

Madeleine said: I spent some time talking to patients about their experience of dialysis. John Mountjoy of Pen y Fai was one of a number of Bridgend patients who talked to me about his treatment. The treatment leaves patients very tired at the end of their session and the possibility of a long weight or long journey to get home was the only complaint I heard from patients.