How long a hemodialysis patient can live if he is not on regular hemodialysis treatment depends on the heart condition. If the heart does not function well and then stops dialysis, the survival time is usually shorter, and most patients may be able to survive for about 1 week. If the heart function is particularly bad, the time may be even shorter. If the heart function is good or if the patient has not been on dialysis for a long time and has a certain amount of urine, he or she may be able to survive for 1-2 months without risking his or her life. If the patient has a combination of high potassium and eats a diet high in potassium, hyperkalemia may be life-threatening at any time, because high potassium can cause cardiac arrest. If the patient’s blood pressure is not well controlled, the time to have hypertension is relatively short. It depends on whether there are other complications and how the heart is functioning. Generally, this time, at most, is about 1 month, at any time will be life-threatening.