Magazin

One square millimeter of the
hollow fiber membrane
contains more than 100 million pores.
Toxins are removed
from the blood through each individual
hollow fiber, while
vital molecules remain in the blood.
THE value of DIALYSIS
In peritoneal dialysis, the peritoneum
performs the kidneys’ cleansing
function. The dialysis solution binds
the toxins and transports them out
of the body.
19
When the kidneys fail, dialysis
therapy can assume their vital functions. “Dialysis” is Greek and
means “separation”. Two treatment methods achieve what the
kidney otherwise does : separating harmful substances from
good ones.
Hemodialysis is the preferred
form of therapy used by 2.81 million patients worldwide. It involves
cleansing the patient’s blood outside the body by means
of an artificial kidney called the dialyzer in conjunction with a
dialysis machine. Around 20,000 plastic fibers inside the dialyzer
filter out toxins and cleanse the blood. In every dialysis treatment,
around 120 liters of blood pass through these fibers. A
miracle – made by humans.
In peritoneal dialysis, the
blood is cleansed within the body via the peritoneum. The
peritoneum is one-and-a-half to two square meters large, well
supplied with blood, and ideal as a substitute membrane for
the filtering process. To this end, the abdominal cavity is filled
with a dialysis solution through an implanted catheter. The
dialysis solution absorbs the toxins via the peritoneum. Around
349,000 patients worldwide are currently undergoing this treatment
method.
Alternatively, patients can get
a kidney transplant. However, availability of donor organs is
limited. There are currently more than 760,000 kidney patients
living with a donated kidney.
FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE 2017