[Home hemodialysis as an alternative to in-center dialysis].

BACKGROUND: Dialysis is a life-sustaining treatment for renal disease in its final stage. The number of patients in dialysis has more than doubled over the last 10 years in Norway. The prognoses still show an increasing number of patients in need of dialysis. As haemodialysis (HD) is complicated to perform at home, peritoneal dialysis is the preferred alternative. HD is usually carried out 3 times a week at hospitals, in satellites or self-dialysis in some other institution. Home HD is rarely used in Norway, as opposed to in other Western-European countries. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We describe our first patient offered HD at home and give an overview of home HD. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION: Empirically, the increased dialysis time in home HD generates positive physical, mental and social effects. The potential of economic savings are considerable. Home HD is a cost-effective method to improve health and solve some of the problems associated with centre dialysis. The treatment generates great demands for equipment and training, and is suitable only for carefully selected patients. Home HD offers considerable more freedom and possibility for more frequent and longer dialysis than centre dialysis.