dialysis

(noun)

Dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is used primarily to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure.

Related Terms

Examples of dialysis in the following topics:

  • Dialysis

    • Dialysis is a process of removing waste and excess water from the blood to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function.
    • In some cases of acute kidney failure, dialysis may only be needed for a short time until the kidneys get better.
    • In medicine, dialysis is a process of removing waste and excess water from the blood.
    • She was the first-ever patient successfully treated with dialysis.
    • The two main types of dialysis, hemodialysis and Peritoneal dialysis, remove wastes and excess water from the blood in different ways.

  • Medical Uses of Hematopoietic Growth Factors

    • Besides those on dialysis, erythropoietin is used most commonly to treat anemia in people with chronic kidney disease who are not on dialysis (those in stage 3 or 4 CKD) and those living with a kidney transplant.

  • Parathyroid Gland Disorders

    • Another related condition is called secondary hyperparathyroidism, or secondary HPT - common in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis.
    • Cinacalcet (Sensipar) is a medicine that can help treat such dialysis patients and is available by prescription only.
    • Most experts believe that Sensipar should not be used for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (patients that have a high calcium and are not on kidney dialysis).

  • Renal Disease and Failure

    • Before dialysis or kidney transplants were widely available treatments, patients with kidney failure had progressive uremic poisoning.
    • These days, most patients have some early symptoms of uremia as their kidney function declines, but prompt dialysis treatments or transplantation avoids most symptoms.
    • An underlying cause must be identified and treated to arrest the progress, and dialysis may be necessary to bridge the time gap required for treating these fundamental causes.

  • The Peritoneum

    • In one form of dialysis, called peritoneal dialysis, a glucose solution is sent through a tube into the peritoneal cavity.
    • This form of dialysis is effective because of the the high number of arteries and veins in the peritoneal cavity which, through the mechanism of diffusion, remove waste products from the blood.

  • Peritonitis

    • Examples include trauma, surgical wound, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, and intra-peritoneal chemotherapy.
    • Intra-peritoneal dialysis predisposes a patient to peritoneal infection.

  • Edema Caused by Loss of Plasma Proteins

    • Eventually, the kidneys may fail completely so that a person with the disease needs hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, or a kidney transplant to survive.

  • Anticoagulants

    • Some anticoagulants are used in medical equipment such as test tubes, blood transfusion bags, and renal dialysis equipment.