Process of Dialysis

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The human kidney can be damaged from a number of causes resulting in a patient’s inability to filter toxins (i.e. urea) from the body which could result in death. Complete kidney failure is usually first treated with dialysis which “cleans” the blood.


Figure 1: The “dialyzer” is a glass container that has 3 main components: (1) blood percolating through to be cleaned; (2) a dividing membrane; and (3) the dialysate. The latter is liquid containing chemicals used to draw fluids and toxins out of the bloodstream and supply electrolytes and other chemicals to the bloodstream (image: kidney.niddk.nih.gov).

All of the following are consistent with the process of dialysis EXCEPT:

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