The feet of dialysis patient Jos van Veen are clicked into the mobile dialysis bike. Above the bike hangs a large TV screen. From the deck chair, Van Veen looks at which route he is going to cycle today. Routes in the Netherlands, Europe and the rest of the world: they can all be found on the dialysis bike that ZGT Hospital used earlier this year.
Watch the video on how the bike works:
“data-revoke =”“>
Move more
“A few years ago, we did research on the mobility of dialysis patients. It turned out that it is actually undersized,” says ZGT nurse Carissa Haamberg. “There were patients who did not walk more than 400 meters in one day.”
The dialysis bike had to change that. “During dialysis, patients can ride a nice bike. They are active, which is better for general well-being. Specific complaints during dialysis can also be reduced if they use the dialysis bike.”
In people whose kidneys are still barely functioning and where (yet) no transplant is possible, dialysis replaces, as it were, renal function: the device removes the waste products from the blood. Patients spend an average of four hours on the dialysis machine in the hospital. And that three to four times a week.
Popular
Dialysis patient Jos van Veen can talk about it. “When I’m on dialysis, I usually get cramps in the calves over time. If I move my calves and total lower body, it’s a lot better. Then I do not feel the pain anymore and then it’s a lot more pleasant. . “
The dialysis bike – cost: about 12,000 euros – could be financed from a special fund at ZGT. And it has been anything but a mistake, says Haamberg. “The bike is very popular. Every shift we turn, the bike is in use. Then you can say that the bike is really loved by the patients.”
.
