Going back to my very first blog post, Chronic Kidney Disease is comprised of five different stages, each representing the percentage of kidney function that is left. But what options does the patient have if the kidneys are no longer functioning? If the nephrologist concludes there is no recovery possible, he/she will recommend the patient go on dialysis. Dr. Shakil will take several steps early on to avoid dialysis, because it is very costly and time consuming for the patient. However once the patient has little kidney function remaining, there are three options that are available: Hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and hemofiltration. I went to the Kingman Dialysis Center to check out what dialysis is really like. Once inside the building, you will see a large room filled with armchairs and dialysis machines. There are around 15-20 patients at the center at a time, and the process normally takes around four hours a day for three days a week. In the back of the center, out of sight from the patients, is the room where the chemicals are synthesized. Each patient is attached to a large machine, as shown below. The main job of this machine is to take the unfiltered blood out of the body, and it reenters the body after the toxins have been removed. It sounds simple, but the machine itself is fairly complicated. There are normally two jugs that are in front of the machine. One of the jugs mixes the unfiltered waste with an acidic solution, that contains electrolytes and minerals which help keep the patient healthy. The other jug contains a bicarbonate solution, that goes into the machine and mixes with purified water. The two solutions found in these jugs are the same solutions being synthesized in the back! Once the blood is cleansed with the chemicals, they re enter the body. Once this process is over, an alarm will sound, which notifies the patient that the process for the day has been completed. Next week I will explain how the tubes are placed in the arm, along with the surgery that needs to take place so they may remain safely in the patient. Source: "Hemodialysis." The National Kidney Foundation. N.p., 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/hemodialysis>.
1 Comment
Raylene
3/23/2017 08:24:23 am
What a crazy and time consuming process! I really how you broke it down and explained each step.
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AuthorMuhammad Ali Archives
May 2017
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