How does a kidney dialysis machine work?
A dialysis machine tries to mimic some of the functions of a human kidney . One of the primary jobs of a kidney is to remove urea and certain salts from the blood so they can exit the body in urine. In a dialysis machine, blood from the patient runs through tubes made of a semi-porous membrane . Outside the tubes is a sterile solution made up of water, sugars and other components. Red and white blood cells and other important blood components are too large to fit through the pores in the membranes, but urea and salt flow through membranes into the sterile solution and are removed. Here are some interesting links: • The Nephron Information Center: Dialysis Patient’s Health Guide • How Your Kidneys Work • How Blood Works •
A kidney dialysis machine replaces the functions of a healthy kidney for people whose own kidneys are severely compromised. Although the machine can’t produce hormones as a normal kidney, it takes care of the blood filtering and waste removal that a healthy kidney does on a continuous basis. In addition to removing waste products and excess fluid from the blood, the machine is also responsible for pumping blood out of the body and back in. It also mixes the solution used for the procedure based on settings entered to match an individual patient’s needs. The dialysis machine monitors the pressure and temperature of blood flow and pumps heparin into the patient’s blood to prevent blood clotting. Alarms sound if any of the variables that the machine monitors goes out of the specified range.
