The invention relates to a method and a hemodialysis machine for at least partial emptying of an extracorporeal blood circulation after the blood of a patient in the extracorporeal blood circulation has been returned to the patient with the help of an infusion liquid which displaces the blood and after the patient has been separated from the extracorporeal blood circulation. The object of the invention is to empty at least the blood chamber of a hemodialyzer (1) that is subdivided by a semipermeable membrane (2) into a blood chamber (3) and a dialysis fluid chamber (4) without additionally connecting the arterial blood line (5) and the venous blood line (7) of the extracorporeal blood circulation to one another. To do so, the arterial blood line (5) is actively or passively aerated at a first point (50) and/or the venous blood line (7) is actively or passively aerated at a second point (40) and the liquid is emptied through the semipermeable membrane (2) into the dialysis fluid chamber (4) and a dialysis fluid discharge line (21) leaving this chamber. The inventive method can take place here through a control program that runs automatically in the control unit (30) of a hemodialysis machine without requiring special operating steps by the operating person after activation of the program.