Nocturnal programs continue to grow!

Nighttime dialysis launched in Tennessee FMCNA successfully launched a nighttime dialysis program at the facility in Smyrna, Tenn. The service allows patients to receive treatments in the clinic for eight hours at night while sleeping or resting, three times a week. Laura Beach, RN, in photo, heads the Nocturnal program.

Michael Peoples used to receive life-sustaining dialysis treatments for four hours, three days a week.

Fresenius Medical Care North America, operator of the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, has launched a night-time dialysis program at Fresenius Medical Care Smyrna, according to a press release. The service allows patients to receive treatments in the clinic for eight hours at night while sleeping or resting, three times a week.

Dialysis is a process that cleans waste products from the blood, removes extra fluids, and controls the body’s chemistry when a person’s kidneys fail. Patients typically require treatment on an ongoing basis unless they receive a kidney transplant.
In addition to having their days free for other activities, patients often report having more energy and better dialysis results.

“Since I began dialyzing at night, I feel better and have more energy during the day,” said Peoples. “I love nighttime dialysis because when I wake up in the morning it doesn’t feel like I have had a dialysis treatment, I’m full of energy. The treatment is also spaced over a longer period of time, so it's easier on me physically.”

Clinical Manager Shannon McCurry said nocturnal dialysis can improve a patient’s overall quality of life.

“During the day, they may be able to work, spend more time with their families or enjoy their favorite hobbies,” she said.

For Peoples, that means being able to focus more on producing his own music.