Artificial kidney

Artificial Kidney is a mechanical device that operates outside the body and substitutes for the kidney by removing waste products from the blood.

It removes nitrogenous waste products from the Blood through Dialysis. Artificial kidney is a Dialysis machine also called as Dialyzer or Hemodialyzer

Also Check – What is Dialysis (Haemodialysis)

Kidneys act as the vital organs for survival. Several factors such as infections, injury or  restricted blood flow to kidneys reduce the normal activities of kidneys. This leads to accumulation of poisonous wastes in the body that can even lead to death. 

Kidney failures can be managed by Artificial Kidney.

HOW DOES ARTIFICIAL KIDNEY WORKS?

Artificial Kidney or Dialyzer works on the principle of dialysis which is the diffusion of small solute molecules through a semipermeable membrane.

Also Check – What is the Difference Between Natural Kidney And Artificial Kidney ?

• Artificial kidney contains a number of tubes with a semipermeable lining suspended in a tank filled with a dialysing fluid. 
• This fluid has the same osmotic pressure as that of blood except that it is devoid of nitrogenous wastes such as urea.
• During the procedure of Dialysis, the patient’s blood is passed through these tubes.
• As the blood passes, the waste products from the blood move into dialysing fluid by diffusion and the purified blood is pumped back into the patient’s body.
• The dialysis unit allows the blood to run along one side of a cellophane membrane and dialysis fluid in opposite directions. 
• This is generally done to maintain the concentration gradient between the patient’s blood and the dialysis fluid. 
• In cases of permanent damage to the kidneys, dialysis is to be repeated for about twelve hours twice a week. 

Also Check – Function of Kidney

The flow chart of the process of dialysis by artificial kidney(Dialyzer) is as follows