Kidney Failure

• What is kidney failure?

  When kidneys suddenly stop working
• What happens to waste substances during kidney failure?

  They build up in the bloodstream
• How does kidney failure affect water and ion levels?

  It prevents regulation of these levels
• What can happen if kidney failure is untreated?

  The person could become sick or die
• What is the only treatment for kidney failure?

  Dialysis or kidney transplant
• What is dialysis?

  • An artificial kidney treatment
  • Filters a patient's blood
  • Removes waste substances
• How does a dialysis machine function?

  It filters a patient's blood through a circuit
• What separates the patient's blood from dialysis fluid?

  A partially permeable membrane
• What can diffuse across the partially permeable membrane?

  Small molecules like water and ions
• What does the dialysis fluid contain?

  Same concentrations as healthy blood
• Why is urea absent in dialysis fluid?

  Healthy blood doesn't contain urea
• What happens when there is a concentration gradient in dialysis?

  Substances diffuse into the dialysis fluid
• How is the dialysis fluid maintained during treatment?

  It is constantly replaced with new fluid
• What does the patient's blood lose during dialysis?

  Excess ions, amino acids, and urea
• What are the drawbacks of dialysis treatment?

  Time-consuming, unpleasant, and expensive
• How often do patients typically undergo dialysis?

  Three to four days a week
• What is a kidney transplant?

  A surgical procedure to transfer a kidney
• Where do most donor kidneys come from?

  People who have recently died
• What is the main risk associated with kidney transplants?

  Organ rejection by the immune system
• How do doctors help prevent organ rejection?

  By giving medication to suppress the immune system
• Why are kidney transplants not always available?

  There are not enough available organs
• Compare dialysis and kidney transplant.

  Dialysis:

  • Time-consuming
  • Unpleasant experience
  • Expensive long-term

  
  

  Kidney Transplant:

  • Surgical procedure
  • Risk of rejection
  • Generally cheaper and better