How Does Dialysis Work?

Our dialysis machines are like our engines, it’s what helps keep us running. Like an engine in a car, it has so many parts that do so many things, all for one purpose of making the car go. So how does our dialysis machine actually work? And where did the idea even come from to create one?

What does the dialysis machine do?

The purpose of your dialysis machine is to take over the kidney’s job filtering toxins out of your blood! For example, it filters out urea, creatinine, potassium which are typically removed by the kidneys (1). 

How does the dialysis machine work?

1. The catheters that transfer your toxic blood into the machine through tubes
2. The dialyzer, which uses dialysate fluid to help remove and filter toxins in your blood
3. The tubing that comes out of the dialyzer which contains toxin-free blood and enters back into your body

The main function here is the dialyzer which utilizes the dialysate fluid. This fluid helps remove the unwanted waste products from your blood. Furthermore, it helps level out electrolytes and minerals to the necessary level in your body (2). 

The dialyzer allows the blood and the dialysate fluid to flow through the machine at the same time. It is important to note that the blood and the dialysate never mix together or even touch while being passed through the dialyzer. Once impurities are filtered from your blood they are then transferred into the dialysate fluid which is then discarded properly. This process will continue for the entirety of your session, which to some patients can be six hours a day. 

Who invented the dialysis machine?

Dr. Willem Kolff’s (MD, Ph.D.) idea wasn’t exactly the dialysis machine we have today. Instead, he tried to develop an artificial kidney that would inspire the technology advances we have available today. 

All it took were laundry tubs, a wooden drum, metal, a semipermeable sausage casing, and an electric motor to create the first dialysis machine. 

Dr. Kolff’s idea was this: “if a machine could replace the failing kidney for a few days to weeks, filtering out acid and waste materials from the blood, then the kidney tissue could regenerate and function again” (3).

So, he conducted his experiment by filing the sausage casing with blood and added the uremic toxin, urea (which is a kidney waste product). He then shook it up in saltwater. Thus, Dr. Kolff was able to see that some urea had passed through the sausage casing and into the salt water, leaving no disturbance to the blood molecules used. Hence, the idea of dialysis was born (3). 

To this end, Dr. Kolff was able to successfully use this theory on patients. It actually helped extend the lives of those affected by low functioning kidneys. Later on, in 1948 Dr. Kolff was invited to work alongside Dr. Carl Walters and Dr. John Merrill to redesign the artificial kidney for kidney transplant program use. 

Future of dialysis

If you’re on dialysis and take medications for your low functioning kidneys, don’t give up hope! There is a better form of treatment coming to kidney care. 

Because kidney disease is on the rise and is the 9th leading cause of death in the United States (4) it has now become a top priority for the government. In fact, they are dedicated to continuing research and development on dialysis alternatives. 

As a result, organizations like KidneyX were formed from a partnership between the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Since then, KidneyX has been engaging with researchers and innovators to find the next big idea. They are hoping to revolutionize kidney care through prevention, diagnostics, and treatment.

Learn more about KidneyX here https://www.kidneyx.org/

A new way is coming 

The world of medicine is always changing and improving! With a new emphasis on kidney care, we hope those changes come quickly. Let’s continue to support those in our community who are helping us think of new and improved ways to live with low functioning kidneys.

If you are currently considering moving to home dialysis, give Dr. Jenna Henderson’s article Moving to Home Dialysis a read