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. |
