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Some children with sepsis experience temporary kidney failure, in which the kidneys are unable to remove toxins from the blood. Pediatric kidney specialists at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at ºÙºÙÊÓƵ may use a treatment called hemodialysis to remove toxins from the blood until the kidneys are functioning properly again.

To perform hemodialysis, a catheter—a long, flexible plastic tube—is inserted into one of your child’s veins, usually in the groin, neck, or upper part of the chest. The catheter allows your child’s blood to drain into an artificial kidney machine, called a dialyzer. The filtered blood is returned to the body through another catheter.

Hemodialysis is painless and can be performed continuously in the pediatric intensive care unit until your child’s kidneys can filter blood effectively on their own. Doctors stop hemodialysis after your child’s condition improves and kidney function returns to normal.