Procedure guide · Nephrology
If you have haemodialysis at home, you must keep every session going while you are in India. That applies whether you are travelling for a transplant evaluation, other treatment or as a relative. MedlinePlus stresses that sessions should not be missed or skipped. The National Kidney Foundation advises starting to plan at least six to eight weeks ahead.
What does haemodialysis involve?
Haemodialysis cleans the blood when the kidneys can no longer do so. MedlinePlus explains that blood passes through tubing into a filter called a dialyser. There, a cleansing fluid draws out waste, and the cleaned blood returns to the body. Centre-based patients usually have about three sessions a week, each lasting several hours, at set appointment times. Treatment needs an access point to the bloodstream, usually in the arm, or a catheter.
MedlinePlus describes what happens at a dialysis centre. Your access area is washed and you are weighed. Staff check your blood pressure, temperature, breathing and pulse, and monitor you and the machine throughout.
Who needs to plan visitor dialysis?
- Patients with kidney failure travelling for a kidney transplant evaluation
- Patients on dialysis who need other treatment in India, such as heart or orthopaedic surgery
- Relatives on dialysis who are accompanying another patient
- People on home haemodialysis who cannot bring their own set-up
Your own nephrologist must agree that you are well enough to travel. In India, the treating nephrologist decides your dialysis prescription while you are there.
Transplant rules
If the trip is for a kidney transplant, Indian law allows a foreign national to receive a living-donor kidney only from a near relative. The relationship must be certified, and the hospital’s authorisation committee must approve it. IndiaMedica never sources donors.
What records does a dialysis unit usually ask for?
The National Kidney Foundation lists records a destination unit typically needs. It also advises sending them in advance and carrying a copy by hand:
- Your dialysis prescription
- Several recent treatment records
- Recent blood test results
- A recent ECG and chest X-ray
- Your medical history and a recent physical examination
- Your access type and a full medication list
Ask each unit in India whether it needs any further blood tests before your first session, such as tests for blood-borne viruses, and how recent they must be. Arrange these at home before you fly if you can.
How should you plan the trip?
- Agree the trip with your home nephrologist and dialysis team
- Ask your home unit’s nurse or social worker to help contact units in India
- Book sessions early, as the National Kidney Foundation notes visitors may be offered evening slots
- Plan your flights around your last session at home and first session in India
- Stay near the dialysis unit and confirm your appointment on arrival
- Carry enough medicines for the whole trip plus extra, with written prescriptions
MedlinePlus advises contacting a provider urgently for bleeding or signs of infection at the access site, a fever, or a cold, numb or swollen arm or hand. Carry your home unit’s contact details. If you are on a transplant waiting list at home, the National Kidney Foundation advises telling your transplant coordinator before you travel.
What should you ask the dialysis unit in India?
- Can you provide my prescribed treatment time and number of sessions each week?
- Do you reuse dialysers and bloodlines?
- Which blood tests must I have before my first session?
- Are my medicines available, such as those given during dialysis?
- What happens if I feel unwell between sessions?
- Will you send my treatment records back to my home unit?
IndiaMedica can help coordinate dialysis around a treatment plan. The treating nephrologist decides your prescription.
Questions people ask
How far ahead should I book dialysis in India?
The National Kidney Foundation advises starting to plan at least six to eight weeks in advance, and longer for busy periods. Space for visitors can be limited. Confirm your sessions in writing before booking flights.
Can I miss a session while I travel?
You should not. MedlinePlus stresses that it is important not to miss or skip dialysis sessions and to arrive on time. Plan flights so that your last session at home and first session in India keep to your usual schedule. Your nephrologist can advise.
What should I carry on the flight?
The National Kidney Foundation advises hand-carrying copies of your records as well as sending them ahead. Carry enough medicines for the whole trip plus extra, with written prescriptions. People with diabetes should also carry glucose tablets, snacks and supplies.
Sources
- MedlinePlus — Dialysis: hemodialysis
- MedlinePlus — Dialysis centers: what to expect
- National Kidney Foundation — Travel tips for kidney patients
General information, not medical or legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the official source. Your treating specialist decides on suitability, treatment and length of stay. How we write and check.