Dialysis: Definition and Classification

The kidneys remove metabolic wastes from the body. However, the kidneys may eventually fail, due to numerous reasons, including an underlying sickness or senility. In circumstances where the kidneys are no longer able to function as they should, dialysis acts as a crutch and performs the blood filtration process for the kidneys. Treating kidney failure with dialysis could make all the difference between life and death

Dialysis Definition

Every day, a kidney can filter 100-150 quarts of blood. When the kidneys fail to work correctly, waste builds up in the blood. This condition causes a coma and, in extreme cases, death.

As per dialysis definition, it is a treatment when the kidney fails to work correctly. Dialysis helps to maintain bodily balance in the following ways:

*It regulates blood pressure.

*It removes the extra water and metabolic wastes from our body. These wastes deposit due to improper functioning of the kidney.

*It prevents dangerous quantities of substances, such as potassium, bicarbonate, and sodium, from reaching the environment.

The Dialysis treatment is for persons who have a serious kidney condition, such as significant kidney damage or previously severe renal failure. It is necessary when the kidney has lost 90% of its effectiveness and has a glomerular filtration rate of less than 15. Because most kidney failures are irreparable, this therapy may continue for months or even years.

Dialysis Classification

The function of dialysis is to purify the blood i.e. blood filtration. The dialysis classification is as follows:

1. Haemodialysis

In this type of Dialysis Classification, the patient’s blood

is sent via the dialysis machine or the artificial kidney, where it is filtered and returned to the patient’s body. It is the process to clean the blood by removing impurities. This type of Dialysis Classification requires a minor arm surgery.

2. Peritoneal dialysis (PD)

Peritoneal dialysis is performed by surgically inserting a catheter into the patient’s stomach. A cleaning solution (dialysate) is then pumped inside the catheter, absorbing waste debris from the blood vessels in the stomach walls. It is then dragged out and discarded. Peritoneal dialysis is said to be more adaptable and convenient than hemodialysis.

Dialysis Principle

Dialysis is based on the ultrafiltration of fluid across a semipermeable membrane and the notion of solute dissipation. Diffusion refers to the tendency of materials in water to flow against a concentration gradient

Blood flows on one side of the semi-permeable screen, while dialysate or separate dialysis fluids flow on the other. A selectively permeable layer is a thin membrane made up of variable-sized pores or holes.

Minor solutes and fluids pass through the layer, while the barrier prevents larger things from passing through (for instance, large proteins, red blood cells). This mimics the filtering process that occurs in the kidneys when blood enters the kidneys and the larger compounds are separated from the lesser ones in the glomerulus.

Dialysis, on the other hand, is not a permanent solution; rather, it should be viewed as a temporary substitute for the kidney’s function until the kidney can heal itself. However, chronic kidney disease seldom heals on its own, leaving only a kidney transplant as a viable option. Patients who choose a kidney transplant over dialysis often have a higher life expectancy.

Dialysis Advantages

1. Dialysis can also be performed at home.
2. A simple and pleasant technique of dialysis is peritoneal dialysis. The Peritoneal dialysis equipment is less bulky and it is also easier to transport with the patient.
3. Haemodialysis, unlike peritoneal dialysis, is not performed daily.