Urinary Catheter (Foley)
- A urinary catheter can be inserted into the bladder through the urinary opening in order to measure output. This is exactly how much urine the kidneys are producing. The input of fluids from drinking and IVs is measured as well. The output and input are compared and the therapies are adjusted to the person’s fluid and blood volume needs. It is very common for people in hospital to have a urinary catheter.
Kidney Dialysis
- A dialysis machine is an artificial kidney. Dialysis can be done continuously or intermittently.
- Continuous dialysis removes blood from the body a little bit at a time, filters out the waste products, and then returns it to the body. Continuous dialysis works at a pace similar to the kidneys, so it is less hard on the body.
- Intermittent dialysis is done for a few hours every other day or so. It moves blood in and out of the body at a higher rate. Otherwise, the process is the same. The dialysis machine runs the blood past a filter. Waste and water move from the blood to the dialysis fluid across a membrane. The cleaned blood is then returned to the body.
- Dialysis can be used while the kidneys are recovering from injury, as a permanent replacement for the kidneys, or while a person is waiting for a kidney transplant.
Kidney transplant
- If a person has lost most or all of their renal function, they may qualify for a kidney transplant. A kidney can be donated by a living person whose tissue matches up well with the person receiving it. However, it is more common for a kidney to be donated by a person who has died and donated their organs.
