Hemodialysis, second post


Hemodialysis is a medical process that individuals who have chronic kidney disease, and acute kidney injuries must undergo routinely. For those of you who do not know, the main functions of the kidneys are to extract waste from blood, balance body fluids, form urine, and aid in other important functions of the body. When an individual has renal failure, their kidneys can no longer function properly. So, when a kidney can no longer fulfil it is duty, a man-made membrane referred to as a dialyzer steps up to the plate and gets the job done. The dialyzer removes waste such as urea from the blood, it restores balance of electrolytes in the blood, and it eliminates extra fluid from the body.  

So, the way hemodialysis works is by connecting an individual to a filter (dialyzer) by tubes attached to your blood vessels. Your blood is slowly pumped from the body into the dialyzer, this is where the extra fluids and waste products are removed. The filtered blood is then sent from the dialyzer back to the blood vessels.

In order to conduct hemodialysis, vascular access must be available. By vascular access I am referring to an artificial connection between an artery and a vein. This artificial connection allows for high volumes of blood to flow continuously during hemodialysis. Those who undergo hemodialysis routinely often have long-lasting vascular access installed by a vascular surgeon. The two types of long-lasting vascular access include arteriovenous fistula (AV fistula) and arteriovenous graft (AV graft). The recommended type of long-lasting vascular access is an AV fistula due to the fact that it causes the vein to expand and thicken, allowing for easy and reliable access to the blood vessels.

Despite being an effective treatment, hemodialysis alone is not enough to counter act the physiological damage of renal failure. While receiving hemodialysis treatment, diet and fluid restrictions must be put in place, as well as the administration of medications to replace other functions of the kidney such as regulating blood pressure and stimulating the production of RBC’s.


https://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/dialysis/treatment/what-is-hemodialysis?/e/1350

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 8, 2017 at 7:53 PM

    I new that dialysis was required and used as a filter when people have issues with kidney disease. I think with taking instrumental chemistry it is making me more aware of the systems that these kind of machines use in order to perform their function.

    Luckily, I do not have family who have these kind of issues, but I do know many who do go through this. It seems such a burden that some have lives dependent on these machines.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownNovember 10, 2017 at 7:19 PM

    I have always found dialysis extremely interesting. It’s crazy that we have found a way to filter blood the way an organ could to keep these individuals alive. When I went on a tour of one of the prisons In huntsville they have a dialysis hosptial inside. That means that all the people in prison in Texas that have dialysis are sent to this specific prison. They will literally spend a couple of hours getting dialysis a day and I think that sounds miserable.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownNovember 10, 2017 at 9:35 PM

    I've been to dialysis clinics before and the entire process seems pretty miserable. It is pretty fascinating how we as humans have been able to replicate the natural process of blood filtration. Dialysis has save probably saved countless lives. Great post Samson!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownNovember 10, 2017 at 10:05 PM

    I actually never looked or knew the specifics of dialysis, but it always great to learn a little more about something. Although it is an interesting method, I can't imagine being in the place of someone with dialysis.

    ReplyDelete
  5. daniellevuNovember 11, 2017 at 6:27 AM

    I have seen dialysis clinics before, but I have never actually thought about the process of dialysis. This was actually very interesting to learn about. Dialysis takes hours and I cannot imagine how miserable this must be to sit through this, but I'm sure the people going through this are grateful.

    ReplyDelete

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