Dialysis machine refers to a medical apparatus that is used to treat kidney disease. In this process, the machine purifies the patient’s blood.
What is a dialysis machine?
A dialysis machine is a medical apparatus used to treat kidney disease. A dialysis machine is a medical apparatus that can be used to remove dissolved substances, such as creatinine, urea, ß2-microglobulin or vitamin B12, from the body. The instrument also removes excess water from the blood as part of kidney replacement treatments. A dialysis machine is used to perform blood washing (dialysis) in the event of kidney weakness. Inside the machine, the blood is first fed into a chamber that is divided by a semi-permeable membrane. On one side of the chamber there is a substance that is compatible with the patient’s blood. This substance can penetrate the membrane. The toxins dissolved in the blood can cross the membrane from the other side due to the concentration gradient. In this way, the removal of the harmful substances from the bloodstream takes place.
Forms, types and species
Dialysis machines are used for both hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration. Over the years, medical apparatus underwent various modernizing changes. The first dialysis with semi-permeable membranes took place in Giessen in 1924. However, the breakthrough of dialysis machines did not occur until 1945 in Kampen, the Netherlands, with a drum dialysis machine whose cellophane tubing served as a membrane for dialysis. The membrane made it possible to purify the blood of precisely defined amounts of substances in a controlled manner. In 1946, the Swedish professor Nils Alwall (1904-1986) succeeded in developing equipment to flush edema fluid out of the tissues and lungs. Dialysis can be performed both inside and outside the body. The dialysis machine is primarily used for hemodialysis. Since the machines are large stationary devices, the patient must regularly go to a clinic or doctor’s office for blood washing. In the meantime, however, mobile hemodialysis machines have been developed in the USA that are not tied to a specific location, which in turn has a positive effect on the patient’s quality of life. For this purpose, the patient wears the battery-powered dialysis machine, which weighs about five kilograms, on a belt. A small box contains all the necessary dialysis equipment. The principle is the same as for the large dialysis machines. One disadvantage, however, is that mobile dialysis machines do not yet achieve the efficiency of the large machines and fewer urinary substances are removed from the body. Thus, the current mobile dialysis machines are only a first step of these technologies. Most dialysis machines today are manufactured by the German company Fresenius Medical Care. As a result, the company’s share of dialysis machines sold worldwide is more than 50 percent.
Structure and mode of operation
A dialysis machine is composed of a large number of different modules. The complex machines have more than 8,000 individual parts. The machines can be divided into two functional areas. The most important functional section is the area of water treatment, dialysate preparation and balancing. In the case of acute dialysis, the provision of dialysis solutions in a solution bag is important. The second important functional section is blood circulation. This is the pumping of blood past the filter membrane via extracorporeal circulation. For this purpose, the dialysis machine is always combined with a blood tubing system that is used only once per treatment. The dialyzer is considered the heart of the dialysis machine. The exchange of substances between dialysate and blood takes place in this exchangeable blood purification unit, which is sometimes simply called a “filter” by physicians. The dialysis machine provides the basic conditions for dialysis treatment. The extracorporeal blood circuit and dialysate circuit consist of several units. These are important for pre-treatment as well as post-treatment.To prevent hypothermia or overheating of the patient, the pure water inside the dialysis machine is first heated to physiologically acceptable temperatures. In order to counteract the formation of gas bubbles in the liquid, degassing also takes place. The dialysate is produced from this pre-treated pure water with the addition of electrolytes. The dosage and composition of the dialysate depends on the individual needs of the patient. To ensure problem-free treatment and patient safety, the dialysis machine is equipped with several monitoring and measuring procedures. Among other things, optical methods are used to check the blood leakage inside the dialyzer. Furthermore, sensors are available to measure conductivity, pressure, temperatures as well as volume flow.
Medical and health benefits
Dialysis machines are of paramount importance for the treatment of chronic and, in some cases, acute kidney failure. In Germany alone, for example, about 87,000 Germans a year require renal replacement therapy, which includes dialysis. In earlier times, severe kidney disease without treatment with a dialysis machine often meant foreseeable death. Dialysis, which cannot take place without an appropriate machine, removes harmful substances such as urinary substances as well as excess water from the body. With the help of the dialysis machine or dialysis, the cleansing function of the kidneys can be replaced. After cleansing by dialysis, blood can flow back into the patient’s circulation.
