dialüüseri

A dialüüser, also known as an artificial kidney, is a medical device used in hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment for people whose kidneys have failed. The dialüüser's primary function is to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood. It acts as a synthetic kidney by filtering the blood outside the body.

The dialüüser consists of a semipermeable membrane, which is a thin layer that allows small molecules like waste products and excess water to pass through, but prevents larger molecules such as blood cells and proteins from escaping the bloodstream. Blood is pumped from the patient's body through the dialüüser. On the other side of the semipermeable membrane is a dialysis fluid, or dialysate. The waste products and excess electrolytes move from the blood into the dialysate through diffusion and convection, driven by concentration gradients. The cleansed blood is then returned to the patient's body. Dialysers are typically made of plastic and are designed for single use or for a limited number of reuses, depending on the specific type and hospital protocols. The efficiency of a dialyser is measured by its clearance, which indicates how effectively it removes specific waste products from the blood.