April 18, 2022 admin

Kidneys- The Bean-Shaped Filters of your Body

Get to know your Kidneys better!

The kidneys are two bean-shaped, fist-sized organs that filter extra water and wastes from the blood and form urine. They are located in the lower abdominal part right below the rib cage, on both sides of the spine. They are asymmetrical and the right kidney tends to be smaller and lower than the left one. Our kidney performs various tasks like removing wastes and extra fluids from blood, regulating blood pressure and controlling vital hormones and minerals. The kidneys also help in the formation of blood cells and the regulation of blood pressure. Our heart is the primary organ that pumps blood to all parts of the body. But the kidney filters the blood and supplies the purified blood. Our kidney is supposed to filter about 45 gallons of blood per day. This filtration process creates urine that consists of urea, water and waste filtered from the blood. The nephrons are responsible for the filtration process of blood and then the urine is released into the bladder through ureters. This summarizes that kidney health is quite important to keep our bodies healthy.

Kidney problems you must know:

Kidneys maintain the electrolyte balance in our blood and also regulate blood pressure. When the fails to filter the blood, there arises a kidney disease. The urine is either retained or not completely filtered. Kidney problems are usually not easily diagnosed. The common kidney diseases occurring worldwide are acute kidney disease, chronic kidney disease, glomerulonephritis, kidney stones, acute kidney injury, etc. The glomerular filtration rate (GRF) determines the severity of kidney disease. For a normal kidney, the GRF is 120-100mL/min and it can also be estimated with blood urea nitrogen and plasma creatinine. The normal levels can slightly differ for each individual depending on the body size, weight, sex, physical activity, diet, pharmacologic therapy and physiologic state. When your kidneys suddenly stop the filtration of blood it causes acute kidney disease. This results in the accumulation of waste and creates an imbalance in the chemical composition of blood.

The electrolyte balance of the blood is also disturbed. The longstanding disease leading to renal failure is responsible for chronic kidney disease. In diabetic patients, due to long-lasted diabetes, the capillaries of the kidney are damaged and lead to chronic kidney disease. The renal failure due to diabetes is called diabetic nephropathy. The bacterial or viral infection of the kidney can be caused by the transfer of bacteria from the bladder to the kidney. Kidney infections are caused due to urinary tract infections where the UTI begins to travel to the bladder and kidney. Kidney infections also termed Pyelonephritis is caused when the bacteria are not completely flushed out through the urine.

Dialysis assists blood filtration in patients with kidney disease:

Dialysis is a process where blood is filtered outside the body when the kidneys start failing. In patients with chronic kidney disease dialysis is an irreplaceable process throughout their lives, but in acute kidney disease, it can be a short-term requirement. Dialysis is applied for the purification of blood if there is some harmful intoxication. It is also administered to filter poison from blood after snake bites. Dialysis is of two types; haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. In the haemodialysis, blood is removed from the arm and passed through a dialyser for filtration. The blood circulates through a dialyser where the waste is filtered and filtered blood is again passed to the patient. The dialyser contains a cleaning fluid i.e. dialysis solution that contains water, salts and other additives. In peritoneal dialysis, filtration takes place at the inner lining of the abdomen (the peritoneum). The peritoneal lining of the abdomen contains tiny vessels that can filter the blood. For this type of dialysis, a catheter is inserted in the peritoneal cavity of the patient through which a dialysing fluid is pumped for filtration.

As the fluid passes through the peritoneal cavity waste material and excess fluid are drawn from blood in the dialysis fluid. Patients under peritoneal dialysis need to change the dialysis fluid daily and also are at risk of peritoneal infections. Therefore, the haemodialysis is preferred alternative as it is less invasive, the frequency of dialysis is less and also exhibits low risk of infections. Haemodialysis is done in a dialyser that can be considered as a kidney outside our body. The dialyser plays an important role in haemodialysis. The dialysis procedure is availed by only 10% of the patients because of its accessibility and affordability. The Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme aims to strengthen by providing affordable dialysis services across India.

IMAEC MEDNTEK aims to care for dialysis patients:

IMAEC MEDNTEK aims to set up dialysis facilities with infection control practices across the country. We provide a complete dialysis consumable kit that comprises Dialyzer, blood tubing set for haemodialysis, heparin injection, and iron sucrose injection. We also provide the Part A and Part B solutions for the dialysate.Dialyser functions as a kidney outside the body and is the most important component of the dialysis unit. The heparin injection is used as an anticoagulant that prevents coagulation of blood while dialysis is performed. The iron sucrose injection helps to restore the iron levels after the dialysis is performed. The blood flows through the dialysis unit so it is necessary to maintain the sterility of the dialyser. IMAEC also provides hot and cold sterilant for the disinfection of dialyser and dialysis machines.

References:

1. Acute kidney failure—Symptoms and causes. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-failure/symptoms-causes/syc-20369048
2. Chronic Kidney Disease Basics | Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative | CDC. (2022, February 28). https://www.cdc.gov/kidneydisease/basics.html
3. Health, N. (2019, March 13). World Kidney Day 2019: Myths & Facts about Kidney disease. Narayana Health Care. https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/world-kidney-day-2019-myths-facts-about-kidney-disease/
4. Kidneys: Location, function, anatomy, pictures, and related diseases. (2021, December 21). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/305488
5. Kudtarkar, S. (2019, April 2). Dialysis healthcare delivery in India Dialysis healthcare delivery in India.