WHAT IS HEMODIALYSIS?
Hemodialysis is the process of cleaning various harmful products such as urea, creatinine, potassium, phosphorus and water accumulated in the body due to kidney failure, from the blood with the help of a semi-permeable membrane located outside the body.
What is Adequate Dialysis?
First of all, hemodialysis adequacy means that the patient has no complaints and feels good. A good appetite or even an increase in weight suggests that dialysis is sufficient. In addition, the patient's absence of hypertension, hematocrit (blood count) above 30%, blood phosphorus level below 5.5 mg/dl, and normal serum albumin and cholesterol levels as a measure of nutrition indicate that dialysis is sufficient. In addition, dialysis inlet and outlet urea values should be measured, the adequacy of dialysis should be measured using mathematical formulas and monitored monthly.
The Kidney Is An Almost Irreplaceable Organ!
Human kidneys are small biological marvels of impressive design that perform a vital task. Severe failure or bankruptcy of these twin organs can be life-threatening. Treating kidney patients only became a success story in the 1960s when hemodialysis became routine. Now, with the help of technological excellence, dialysis guarantees a certain quality of life and longer life expectancy for an increasing number of kidney patients.
What Do Healthy Kidneys Do?
The kidneys are an important part of the body's metabolic processes. They collect urine and expel it through the urethra. In addition to urine, excess water and toxins from metabolic processes are eliminated from the body as if passing through a filter. It also regulates the acid-base balance to prevent excessive acidity in the blood. The kidneys also have an important function, such as regulating blood pressure by producing hormones. Adrenal gland hormones such as erythropoietin control the production of blood cells in the bone marrow. The kidneys also affect the amount of calcium in the blood and the production of vitamin D. This vitamin is needed for mineralization, which helps maintain the stability of bones. The diversity of kidney functions is easily seen. The kidneys are two, and in adults each kidney is about 11 centimeters long and weighs 160 grams.
What are the Causes of Kidney Disease?
The causes of kidney diseases can be different. Various infections (glomerulonephritis) often cause permanent damage to the kidney tissue. Even high blood pressure (hypertension), a common disease, can seriously damage the kidneys. An underlying diabetes can often cause kidney disease, and excessive intake of certain medications can also reduce long-term kidney function. There are also various other congenital causes such as polycystic kidney disease. Many kidney diseases develop silently and go undetected for many years. Therefore, some chronic kidney patients do not consult a specialist (nephrologist) until a late stage of the disease. Although rare, some cases can develop rapidly within a few days or weeks, leading to acute kidney failure.
What Are the Effects of Kidney Disease?
• When the kidneys cannot fulfill their duties adequately, the functional efficiency of the whole organism is affected. When the kidney's "filter" is malfunctioning, too much protein will be released into the urine. Also, this leads to edema (water collection) in the legs or lungs.
• In most cases, very little toxin is excreted. If they accumulate, these toxins can damage other organs. Disturbances in the digestive tract can be as extreme as bleeding stomach ulcers. Poisoning can lead to heart rhythm disturbances or infection of the pericardium (the membrane that surrounds the heart). Even abnormal changes in the nervous system can be observed.
• Many patients may experience a significant increase in blood pressure due to hormonal disruption. Medical intervention is absolutely necessary to lower blood pressure.
• In the later stage of the disease, decalcification of the bones begins and impaired blood cell production function leads to anemia. Due to insufficient urine excretion, the body retains too much water.
What is Targeted in the Treatment of Kidney Failure?
If kidney function, also known as clearance, is reduced by more than 15%, complications with dangerous consequences can be expected. Doctors call this stage of blood poisoning uremia. If left untreated for a long time, it can lead to death. In the treatment of advanced renal failure, physicians first try to prevent life-threatening complications caused by uremia, while the long-term goal is to return the patient's health to normal by allowing normal functioning in daily social and work life. Severely damaged kidneys can only be cured by replacing the organ's vital functions with an appropriate treatment - kidney replacement therapy.