Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a treatment that can take over when your kidneys stop working. PD uses the lining of your abdomen as a filter for your blood. Before PD can be done, an opening into this lining must be made. This is done by placing a soft tube called a catheter into your abdomen.

It's important to care for your access to help it last. A problem such as an infection or a blood clot may make your access unusable. Follow these guidelines to help protect your access.

Before hemodialysis can be done, a way for blood to leave and return to your body (an access) is needed. A hemodialysis access is often made in your arm. The two main types of accesses are an arteriovenous fistula (AV fistula) and an arteriovenous graft (AV graft).

It’s important to care for your central venous access device correctly. Here's how.

A central line is often used instead of a standard I.V. line when you need treatment for longer than a week or so. The line can send medicine or nutrition right into your bloodstream.

Leg veins carry blood from your feet back to your heart. If a vein is damaged, blood flow back to the heart is reduced. As a result, you may develop vein problems in your legs.

Having kidney failure means many changes in your health and life. It may feel like too much to cope with at times, but you can learn how to deal with these emotions and feel better about your treatment and yourself. Learning as much as you can about kidney failure is a good place to start.

Kidney failure and its treatment will mean making some changes. But you can still live a full life with kidney failure. Read on to learn more.

Read on to learn details about a varicocele, from symptoms to how it can affect sperm count.

A varicocele is when the veins in your scrotum are enlarged. Your doctor may advise surgery or another procedure to close off the enlarged veins. Read on for more details about these treatments.