Kidney Failure treatment

• Route of blood purification

  1. Blood containing impurities travels in the renal artery to the kidneys

  2. Kidneys regulate levels of salt, ions, and urea in the blood. Any excess is sent to the ureter for excretion, and eventually the bladder

  3. Purified blood returns to circulation via the renal vein
• Treatment of kidney failure

  Transplantation or dialysis
• Kidney failure, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD), is a serious condition where the kidneys are unable to perform their normal processes
• Dialysis


  A machine outside the body performs the action of the kidneys by filtering out urea and other waste substances and reabsorbing sugar, water, etc. Blood is taken from a vessel in the arm, mixed with an anticoagulant, and passed through a machine containing dialysis fluid separated from blood via a partially permeable membrane. Dialysis fluid contains a similar level of glucose and ions as in the blood, allowing these substances to remain in the blood and return to the body. Urea diffuses out of the blood into the dialysis fluid down a concentration gradient
• Urea is produced from the breakdown of excess amino acids in the liver
• Transplantation

  An alternative to dialysis where the kidney is replaced altogether. It is less restrictive than a dialysis machine as regular visits are not required. There is a risk of rejection of the donor kidney if specific antigens on the kidney cells do not match those of the host, leading to severe illness or death. Immunosuppressive drugs can prevent rejection but weaken the immune system against pathogens. Tissue typing checks compatibility before transplantation, leading to long waits but preventing rejection