Taking a Look at Dialysis

945 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Renal failure question

Dialysis is used when a person’s kidneys have lost 85-95% of their functioning ability. Over 100,000 people in the US are staying alive due to kidney dialysis. Kidney dialysis is also called renal dialysis. There are two types of kidney dialysis: peritoneal and hemodialysis. Both types of dialysis remove waste, salt and extra water, which builds up in the body. Dialysis not only cleanses impurities out of the blood, it also maintains blood pressure and makes sure to keep healthy levels of sodium, bicarbonate and potassium in the body. (Lewin, 2010) Without proper working kidneys, blood pressure can rise, body fluids accumulate and red blood cell count can decrease. Usually kidney problems occur from disease, conditions and disorders. Disease can come from damage to nephrons, which help filter the blood. Infections can travel from the bladder up to the kidneys. Kidney cancers, kidney stones, cysts and injury all can damage a kidney. Without properly working kidneys, our heart, lungs and brain, as well as other organs are put in danger. (Capicchiano 2013) Kidney dialysis is not always a permanent need; sometimes it is needed for a short time. Kidney dialysis can occur in many places, the hospital, a home or in a center. Often people return to work after dialysis, unless their job involves strenuous activity such as heavy lifting or digging. (Lewin, 2010) The first type of dialysis I will talk about is peritoneal dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis must be done every day. This dialysis takes place in the abdomen, which has a semi-permeable membrane. Solutions enter into the abdomen and are left for an amount of time. The solution helps to collect and clean the body of impurities. The solution, which flows into the peritoneal cavity, is c... ... middle of paper ... ... & September 2009) Kidney dialysis comes at a price. With chronic kidney disease (CKD), there can be problems with iron depletion. Dialysis slowly depletes a patient of iron. On average, about 5-7 mg of iron is lost in each session. Until recently, the main way doctors tried to compensate for this loss was by adding 100 mg of iron into the bloodstream. This treatment comes with risks of oxidative stress and can cause liver damage. A new drug has recently been in the news and seems to help greatly with this problem. The drug is called Triferic. Triferic mimics the way iron is absorbed into the body naturally. The absorption gradually goes to the body’s bone marrow and helps to maintain levels of hemoglobin. Triferic is still in the trial stages with 3 successful trials done so far. It very well may become an integrated treatment for those with CKD. (Glatter, 2013)

Show More
Related

  • Hemodialysis Case Study

    1997 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hemodialysis is the process of blood that is transported outside the body to a dialysis machine where it is cleaned of waste products and returned to the circulatory system. It is a lifetime requirement. As a result, of the repeated and life-long needle puncture of the involved blood vessels, thick scar tissue eventually develops which makes the procedure difficult and painful. To avoid this complication, a surgical procedure known as an arteriovenous fistula is performed. It produces a large vein that can be entered safely and easily with large needles for the three times a week procedure. New techniques are intended to improve the efficiency of dialysis and thereby increases life expectancy, as 20% of people with end-stage renal disease die annually. Peritoneal Dialysis. Peritoneum is the lining of the abdominal cavity. The tissue has the properties of a semi-permeable membrane, allowing the process of diffusion to take place in abdominal cavity. An incision is made through the anterior abdominal muscle wall; through this opening, a tube (catheter) is inserted into the abdominal space. Sterile dialysate (a solution to clear waste products) is introduced and allowed to remain in the cavity four to six hours or overnight. During this time, through the process of diffusion, impurities pass through the peritoneum into the dialysate. The dialysate and its collected impurities are then eliminated from the body. Kidney transplantation when possible, is the best alternative for end stage renal disease. Often, the body rejects the kidney and when this occurs the recipient must undergo a medication regimen to suppress the immune system. Relatives are recommended to donate their liver so that the body has a smaller chance to reject the kidney. I comparison with dialysis kidney transplantation has advantages that positively affect the person’s medical and vocational rehabilitation potential. The person with the

    Read More

  • Kidney Stones Research Paper

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kidney stones emerge from the accumulation of material in the urine which tends to clog the kidney urine drainage system. Usually, this material flows out of the urinary system along with the urine. However, over extended periods of time, this material forms larger masses which may result in blockage of the urinary tract. This blockage may predispose to infection which is characterized by bleeding and relentless pain. It can eventually lead to kidney failure.

    Read More

  • Urban Legend of the Kidney Thieves

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    (5) NIH Publication No. 03–4241. Your Kidneys and How They Work. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 2003. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/yourkidneys/

    Read More

  • The Kidney Shortage Problem

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1954, the first organ transplant was conducted successfully in the United States. (Clemmons, 2009) Nowadays, the technology of organ transplant has greatly advanced and operations are carried out every day around the world. According to current system, organ sales are strictly prohibited in the United States. (Clemmons, 2009) However, the donor waiting list in the United States has doubled in the last decade and the average waiting time for a kidney is also increasing. (Clemmons, 2009) In the year 2007, over 70,000 patients were on the waiting list for a kidney and nearly 4500 of them died during the waiting period. In contrast to the increasing demand for kidney, organ donation has been in a decrease. (Wolfe, Merion, Roys, & Port, 2009) Even the government puts in great effot to increase donation incentives, the gap between supply and demand of organs still widens. In addition, the technology of therapeutic cloning is still not mature and many obstacles are met by scientists. (Clemmons, 2009) Hence, it is clear that a government regulated kidney market with clear legislation and quality control is the best solution to solve the kidney shortage problem since it improves the lives of both vendors and patients.

    Read More

  • Multidisciplinary Team Healthcare

    2385 Words  | 5 Pages

    After further multidisciplinary team meetings with the involvement of John the treatment option of automated peritoneal dialysis was implemented (NSF 2004). Once the Tenchkoff catheter had been inserted, education and training completed John was ready for discharge home.

    Read More

  • Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit

    2787 Words  | 6 Pages

    In medicine dialysis is primarily used to provide an artificial support for the lost kidney function in people with renal failure.

    Read More

  • Urinary System

    1828 Words  | 4 Pages

    The kidneys are bean shaped organs. They are a brownish-purplish sort of color. The outside of the kidneys are very tough, but smooth. This is described as a fibrous tunic. The outer part has millions of nephrons which are the basic unit of the kidney. The kidney is divided into two layers. The outer cortex and the medulla. When the outer cortex is stripped off you then get the medulla. The inside you have a thick mesh of muscular fibers. This is also smooth, and very even. It is very red in color, unlike the outside which is of brownish-purplish coloring. It is more red in color because it has tiny blood vessels. The kidneys are located in the posterior part of the abdomen, on both sides of the vertebral column. An easier way to say that would be right below the ribs towards the middle of your back. The right kidney is usually lower in location than the left kidney because of where the liver is. Each kidney is about 11cm long, 6cm wide, and 2.5 cm thick. The kidneys remove urea from the blood through a blood filtering unit called a nephron. There are more than 2 million nephrons in each kidney. The nephron is part of the homeostatic mechanism of your body. That mechanism maintains your water-salt balance, and it also regulates the amount of urea in your body. The blood enters the kidney through the bowmans capsule under pressure. This just surrounds the tuft of capillaries which is the glomerulus. The liquid just flows through the glomerulus under pressure. The pressure pushes the liquid out and keeps in the larger cells. This is filtration, because the glomerulus is taking the nutrients in and getting rid of the waste. After the filtering ...

    Read More

  • Chronic Kidney Disease Essay

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this text we will discuss and explore chronic kidney disease by providing a definition, describing the disease, discussing the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Pakistan and England and incidence of chronic kidney disease in Australia. Further on we will discuss how to prevent this disease and who can help us in order to improve our health condition.

    Read More

  • End-Stage Renal Disease

    3364 Words  | 7 Pages

    Hemodialysis uses a dialyzer, or special filter, to clean your blood. The dialyzer connects to a machine. During treatment, your blood travels through tubes into the dialyzer. The dialyzer filters out wastes and extra fluids. Then the newly cleaned blood flows through another set of tubes and back into your body.

    Read More

  • Organ Sales Will Save By Joanna Mackay

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article has been well organized and written. Mackay clearly states her rationale for writing the article and provides a valid reason to hold up her article with sources. Within the introduction section, the authors present worrying statistics of Americans affected by kidney disorders. Moreover, the author provides the disadvantages of dialysis with only Kidney transplantation being the only option. The author relates the topic to the readers...

    Read More

  • Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    This dialyzer is a clear plastic tube which contains thousands of micro fibers that allow the blood to flow through while enabling diffusion to remove the unwanted components of the blood. The majority of dialysis patients use this as their primary method of treatment; however, some patients find the treatment to be harsh and uncomfortable. These patients often look for alternate treatments, such as peritoneal dialysis. The human body has the ability to be modified to allow for dialysis to occur within the peritoneal cavity instead of the extracorporeal method used in hemodialysis. This cavity is located in the abdomen and is accessed via a tube called a peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter.

    Read More

  • Rennal Diet: The Role Of A Renal Diet

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    These wastes are derived from the liquid and food that the individual had consumed. In cases of compromised kidney function, the kidneys are no longer able to remove or filter wastes in the normal way. This means that wastes are left to accumulate in the bloodstream. When this scenario takes hold, it can negatively impact the patient 's electrolytes, therefore, positive action has to be taken to optimize the situation. When patients follow a renal diet it can help to slow down the advancement of total kidney failure, and ameliorate kidney function. Along with chloride and potassium, sodium represents one of the body 's main three electrolytes. The latter manipulate the fluids with enter and leave the body’s cells and tissues. Therefore, patients with renal disease must monitor their intake of electrolytes. Keeping a daily food dairy is essential (Nephcure), and will be of great benefit to the dietitian who can pinpoint certain details.

    Read More

  • Kidney Function

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kidney Function Introduction and definition of terms: The kidneys are the main organs in the urinary system. They filter waste products out of blood from the renal artery. These are then excreted. Useful solutes are reabsorbed into the blood. They also have a major homeostatic role in the body, and help to control the water content (osmoregulation) and pH of the blood.

    Read More

  • Ethyl Alcohol Essay

    1715 Words  | 4 Pages

    The kidneys are a bean-shaped organ in the human body and they have different functions and are of vital importance for it. The kidneys are the pair of organs, which are able to regulate the reabsorption of ions such as potassium, sodium and calcium, which are fundamental substances for the cell. Furthermore, they are involved in the reabsorption of nutrients in the bloodstream and they can regulate the acidity of the blood. Besides the regulation of the fluids and ions, the kidneys are also responsible for the regulation of many different hormones that are involved in homeostasis and metabolism. Because of their importance in the regulation of substances in the body, when the kidneys stop working properly all the body is influenced by that creating disequilibrium in the maintenance of homeostasi...

    Read More

  • Thalassemia Essay

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ver problems. It may also make the person more likely to get infections. Blood transfusions may help control some symptoms. But this could lead to having too much iron, as it stated before. Too much iron could damage the heart, liver, and endocrine system.

    Read More

More about Taking a Look at Dialysis

Open Document