Renal Failure
Main Functions of the Kidneys
The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, 12 centimeters long, which lie at the sides of the spinal column behind the abdominal cavity (Merck 2010). Their main function is to maintain the proper balance of water and minerals in the body. Their other major functions include filtration and elimination of wastes and toxins, regulation of blood pressure and secretion of some hormones. The amount of water taken into the body must match the amount being eliminated. If the balance is not maintained, water will accumulate fast and illness or death may occur. Excess water will dilute the body's electrolyte and inadequate amount will concentrate electrolytes. The kidneys regulate and help maintain the precise concentrations (Merck).
The kidneys' second major function consists of filtration and excretion (Merck 2010). They pass out urea, a main waste product from protein metabolism. Urea moves through the glomerulus and into the tubuluar fluid and leaves the body as urine. Metabolic waste products, such as acids, toxins and drugs are also eliminated through urine (Merck).
A third major function is the regulation of the body's blood pressure (Merck 2010). Blood pressure tends to increase when too little sodium is excreted. The kidneys also produce the enzyme called rennin. They secrete this hormone into the blood stream when blood pressure drops below normal levels. The hormone activates the rennin-angiotensin-aldostrerone system, which responds by raising blood pressure. Persons suffering from kidney failure are likely to have high blood pressure (Merck).
The kidneys secrete other hormones to regulate other important functions like the production of red blood cells and bone growth and maintenance. One such hormone is erythropoietin, which stimulates red blood production in the bone marrow (Merck).
Nursing Assessment of a Patient with Acute Renal Failure
Physicians, however, prefer hemodialysis because of reimbursement trends (Wellbery). Dietary Changes - Many patients also prefer peritoneal dialysis to hemodialysis because the latter restricts the diet (NKUDICC 2000). Peritoneal dialysis removes body wastes slowly but it always does. In hemodialysis, on the other hand, wastes can build up for two or three days between treatments. In addition, a patient on hemodialysis must observe a restrictive diet. Some clinics help plan
CT scan or MRA may result in the clinician oversight of some of the more subtle findings. It is expensive and the availability is limited. It is possible to evaluate RAS via angiogram, bet evaluation of the size of the stenosis tends to be imprecise. Additionally, angiography does not allow a cross-sectional assessment of the stenosis, and in the case of FMD, it is not possible to distinguish the different
I am not different in this regard; witnessing my sister having gone through the psychological and physiological factors associated with her dialysis treatment, and knowing my own risk, has been illuminating and has given me the impetus to learn about how to deal with the condition. For me, early detection will be key. Patients who have early detection of kidney disease have a better overall prognosis through getting earlier treatment
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The first heart sound is generally longer and lower than the second, producing a heartbeat that sounds like lub-dup, lub-dup, lub-dup. Blood pressure, the pressure exerted on the walls of blood vessels by the flowing blood, also varies during different phases of the cardiac cycle. Blood pressure in the arteries is higher during systole, when the ventricles are contracting, and lower during diastole, as the blood ejected during systole moves
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