What is dialysis?
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a treatment/procedure that cleans the blood and removes wastes and excess fluids from the blood. It is used in the case of kidney failure. Dialysis provides replacement for lost kidney function. Healthy kidneys are responsible for the removal of metabolic wastes like urea, uric acid, potassium salts, etc from the body. Kidneys also remove excessive fluid from the body and maintain balance in the body. However in the case of kidney failure, it becomes necessary to use an artificial procedure to maintain equilibrium in the body.
Dialysis is of two types:
Hemodialysis: In hemodialysis, the patient’s blood is exposed to a semipermeable membrane by pumping it through the blood compartment of a dialyzer. Wastes and excessive fluids are eliminated through osmosis. The cleansed blood is then pumped back into the body. Hemodialysis is performed three times per week and each session lasts about 3-4 hours.
In order to perform hemodialysis, the doctor must make an entrance to access the patient’s blood vessels. Usually, a vein and an artery are joined together to form a fistula. Once the fistula matures, two catheters are inserted, one on the artery side and the other on the vein side, and blood is drawn out to perform dialysis. This method is preferred because the chances of infection are low.
Peritoneal dialysis: In peritoneal dialysis, the peritoneal membrane in the abdomen acts as the semipermeable membrane. A sterile solution containing minerals and glucose is injected into the peritoneal cavity and left there for a period of time. The solution absorbs wastes and is then drained out. Peritoneal dialysis is comparatively less efficient than hemodialysis. However, it can be performed at home by the patient himself/herself and so it frees patients from the routine of having to go to a dialysis clinic.
Related pages:
- Anatomy and Physiology and Biomedical Engineering
- Major organ systems of the body
- Tissue engineering
