Kidney Failure

• What happens if the kidneys don't work properly?

  Waste substances build up in the blood and you lose the ability to control water and ion levels, resulting in death
• What are the two treatments for kidney failure?

  Kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant
• What is kidney dialysis?

  When a machine filters the blood instead of the kidneys
• Why does dialysis have to be done regularly?

  To keep concentrations of dissolved substances in blood at normal levels
• How does a dialysis machine work?

  • Blood flows between partially permeable membranes, surrounded by dialysis fluid
  • Ions and waste substance can travel through the membranes but not proteins, just like the kidneys
  • Dialysis fluid has the same concentration of ions and glucose as healthy blood
  • This means dissolved ions and glucose won't be lost during dialysis
  • Waste substances diffuse across the barrier
• How long does dialysis take?

  3 to 4 hours
• How often must dialysis be done?

  3 times a week
• What can dialysis cause?

  Blood clots or infection
• Is dialysis cheap or expensive for the NHS?

  Expensive
• What is the only cure for kidney failure?

  Transplant
• Where are healthy kidneys usually transplanted from?

  People who died suddenly
• What must an organ donor be on or carry to donate organs if they die?

  The organ donor register or carry a donor card
• What can happen to a transplanted kidney?

  It can be rejected by the patient's immune system