Function of Kidneys:
Kidneys are filter organs present in vertebrates which help in removing water soluble wastes from the blood. A normal human body possesses two kidneys which are bean shaped and weigh around 150 grams each. Kidneys function as the waste disposal system of our body. Every day kidneys are processing around 200 litres of filtrate while absorbing large amount of it and producing around 1 to 2 litres of waste. Kidneys allow reabsorption of molecules from this filtrate into the blood. Thereafter these molecules are transferred to urinary bladder and then expelled from the body as urine. Kidneys are also producing hormones like erythropoietin, vitamin D and enzyme renin. Kidneys perform homeostatic functions which includes regulating
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Renal ultrasonography is done for evaluating renal disease and blockage of the urinary system. Aortorenal angiography also helps in the diagnosis of many renal vascular diseases. Renal biopsy is useful for identification of intra renal causes of AKI.
Chronic kidney disease: In most of the cases kidney function starts worsening over a number of years which is actually good as it can help for early detection and further medication. Moreover dietary and lifestyle changes can improve the functioning of kidneys. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) or chronic renal disease (CRD) occurs due to progressive and gradual loss in renal function. Symptoms are not specific and might include loss of appetite and general illness.
The most common causes of CKD are
• diabetes mellitus
• hypertension or high blood pressure
• Glomerulonephritis is a group of diseases causing inflammation and damage to the kidneys.
• Inherited diseases like polycystic kidney disease.
• Malformations during pregnancy.
• Lupus and other such diseases affecting the body's immune system.
• Kidney stones or an enlarged prostate gland in men.
• Recurrent urinary infections.
Symptoms of kidney failure include:
• Vomiting
• Weight
The kidneys are located in the posterior section of the retroperitoneal cavity and are small, dark red kidney-bean shaped organs in the lower part of the rib cage (Marieb, The Urinary System, 2015). They are undervalued organs considering how essential they are for the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis. The kidneys filter about 120-150 quarts of blood to produce about 1-2 quarts of urine each day (NIH, 2014). Blood initially enters the kidneys through the renal artery. It then flows into the segmental artery before moving into the interlobar artery. From the interlobar artery the filtrate enters the arcuate artery before branching into the cortical radiate artery, which feeds into the afferent arteriole, before passing into the glomerulus where it begins to filter out waste. The filtered waste is then collected by renal tubule. The tubules drain to collecting ducts and all of these components together makes up a small unit called a nephron. Each kidney has over a million nephrons (Marieb, Blood Supply/ Nephrons, 2015). They filter out wastes that run through different body systems via blood; the majority of that waste is nitrogenous wastes, toxins, excess fluids, electrolytes, and drugs. These waste products are eliminated as urine. While waste are removed vital enzymes, hormones, and water are returned
All play a role in removing waste from your body. Your kidneys filter waste from your blood and regulate the concentrations of many substances. Tubes called ureters carry urine from your kidneys to the bladder, where it’s store until it exits your body through the urethra.
Kidneys have important roles in maintaining health and making our lives easier everyday. It is located near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. Functions of the kidneys include extracting wastes from the blood and balancing body fluids from the urine. Most of kidney diseases attack the nephrons, which is the functional units of the kidney. This damages causes kidney malfunctions for example, medicines, genetic problems and injuries.
To have a better understanding of your patients particular case with acute kidney failure you would want to gather a patient history to see if they have used any nephrotoxic medications or have had systemic illnesses in the past that may have been related to poor perfusion in their body. The laboratory tests you would want to pay attention to would be a complete blood count, urinalysis, ultrasound, glomerular filtration rate and a measurement of serum creatinine and potassium level (Rahman, Shad, Smith 2012).
1 in 3 Americans Adults are currently at risk for developing kidney disease. What is acute renal failure, when your kidneys functions all of a sudden stop working and your kidneys are the body’s filter which remove waste products and help balance water, salts and minerals especially electrolytes in your blood when your kidneys stop working you end up building all the products in your body that need to be filtered and eliminated. The pathophysiology of Acute Renal Failure are due to three main causes Pre-renal, Intra-renal, and Post renal. Pre-renal is a sudden drop in blood pressure or interruption of blood flow to the kidneys from illness or sever injury. Intra-renal is direct damage to the kidneys by inflammation of drugs, infection, toxins or reduced blood supply. Post-renal is a sudden obstruction of urine flow because of enlarged prostate bladder tumor, kidney stones, or injury.
Introductions Throughout our body we have many majors organs and each organ has a major function on our body. One of the major organs of the urinary system is the kidneys. We have 2 reddish brown, fist size, bean shaped kidneys in our body located on the anterior side by the lower edge of the ribs on either side of the spinal cord. The major function of your kidneys is to filter the blood to remove waste products, helps balance water, salt, electrolytes and forms urine. There must be an adequate blood supply in order for the kidneys to function properly. When your kidneys suddenly shut down and stop working it’s called acute renal failure. Acute renal failure is the most common leading deaths in hospitals today.
When caring for a patient with AKI the main goal is to prevent any complications and manage the complications the patient is experiencing while trying to reverse the cause. Being that urine output is the best sign that the kidneys are being perfused the bedside nurse must be strictly monitoring this patient’s fluid intake and urine output. Diuretic therapy is also started in low doses to help the kidneys along. AKI patient’s electrolyte levels...
In medicine dialysis is primarily used to provide an artificial support for the lost kidney function in people with renal failure.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Kidney Failure occurs when the kidneys are suddenly unable to filter waste products from the blood. This occurring, results in the body beginning to accumulate high levels of dangerous waste, which eventually leads to a chemical imbalance in the blood. Symptoms of the kidney’s inability to
The urinary system is composed of the kidneys, the ureters, the urinary bladder, and the urethra ("Urinary System", n.d.). These organs and tubes shape what is called the urinary tract, the body’s drainage system for removing urine from the kidneys, storing the urine, and then expelling it during urination ("Urinary System", n.d.). The first part of the urinary system is the kidneys. The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs located in the upper abdominal cavity against the back muscles ("Urinary System", n.d.). The kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood to remove waste and chemicals to produce urine ("Urinary System", n.d.). Blood is carried through the renal arteries to the kidneys where they are filtered by nephrons - tiny filtering units in both kidneys that remove harmful substances and waste from the blood (Durani, 2015). The toxins and waste sifted by these nephrons are blended with water to produce urine (Durani, 2015). On average, the kidneys will filter 120 to 150 quarts of blood a day to produce about 1 to 2 quarts of urine ("The Urinary Tract & How It Works", 2014). The next
Kidneys clear waste products from our blood. They play a role in controlling the body’s level of water and chemicals, and produce essential hormones. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013)
Healthy kidneys clean the blood by filtering out extra water and wastes. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and blood healthy. When both of your kidneys fail, your body holds fluid. Your blood pressure rises. Harmful wastes build up in your body. Your body doesn't make enough red blood cells. When this happens, you need treatment to replace the work of your failed kidneys.
The nephron produces urine by removing excess water, waste, and other substances from the blood. The nephron also returns substances such as sodium, potassium or phosphorus whenever any of the substances run low. There are about one million nephrons in each kidney.
Kidney stones can be diagnosed by a general physician or a urologist (Kidney Stones). Diagnosis of a kidney stone starts with a medical history, some physical examination of the patient, and imaging tests of the kidney. “Your doctors will want to know the exact size and shape of the kidney stones. This can be done with a high resolution CT scan from the kidneys down to the bladder or an x-ray called a ‘KUB x-ray’(kidney-ureter-bladder x-ray)” (Kidney Stones). This will show the size of the stone and its position. This test is done by injecting die into the patient through an IV and then looking at how the die is passed through the kidney to see where the blockage occurs (Kidney stones). This test takes about 1 hour in total. Another way to diagnose stones is through a renal ultrasound. A renal ultrasound is an ultrasound image taken of the lower back, exposing the kidney. This test is good for the patient because it doesn’t require any injections or radiation. It also takes much less time (Kidney Stones). Diagnosis will also be continued after the stone has been passed. “The stone will be analyzed after it comes out of your body, and your doctor will test your blood for calcium, phosphorus and uric acid” (Kidney Stones). This way, doctors can create different treatment plans to prevent this type of stone from developing
Your kidneys play a very important role in helping your body function properly. The kidneys help your body pass waste as urine and helps filter blood before it’s sent back to the heart. Kidneys are two bean shaped organs that are about the size of a fist. Most people have two kidneys that are located just below the spine, one on each side of the spine. Your kidneys perform many vital functions for your body. They produce hormones that help produce red blood cells, regulates blood pressure, and promotes healthy bones. Even though they play such a big role, it is possible to only live with one kidney. There are many illnesses that impairs the functioning of the kidneys, one of them is Acute kidney injury.