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| Kidney Dialysis |
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Acute kidney failure is a serious and
life-threatening disease. The kidneys play an important role
in maintaining the balance of electrolytes and body fluids
and help to eliminate toxic substances by filtering them
from the blood and eliminating them in the urine. Patients
may recover from an acute insult but they often need time
for the kidneys to heal and regain adequate function. A
kidney dialysis machine is a complex array of pumps and
filters that remove blood from the body and return it with
waste products removed and the normal electrolyte balance
restored.
Four Seasons Animal Hospital uses dialysis machines designed
for intensive care patients that need continuous support for
their ailing kidneys. This treatment, called Continuous
Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT), was introduced to
veterinary critical care in the 1990’s by
Dr. Jan Kovacic. It can be
used for patients with acute renal failure, patients with
chronic kidney disease that have an acute episode from which
it is otherwise difficult to recover, and for patients that
have ingested a toxin that can be removed by dialysis. |
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