Video Transcript
Which of the following could be a
potential risk of the long-term use of an artificial kidney? (A) The patient could be at risk of
urea poisoning due to the concentration gradient of urea being reversed. (B) An infectious agent could find
its way to the patient’s bloodstream, causing a hospital-acquired infection. (C) The dialysate solution could
seep into the bloodstream due to the obstruction of dialysate flow by urea. Or (D) artificial kidneys are
risk-free medical devices, and there are no medical complications which would arise
from long-term use.
An artificial kidney is a medical
device used in the treatment of kidney failure. The kidneys function to filter the
blood. When kidney failure occurs, wastes
are not removed from the blood and ion imbalance may occur. An artificial kidney, also referred
to as a dialysis machine or dialyzer, pumps the patient’s blood through a network of
semipermeable tubing. That tubing is in contact with a
fluid called dialysis fluid. The tubing and the fluid are
designed to use principles of simple diffusion to restore the balance in a patient’s
blood. This prolongs the life of the
kidney failure patient.
There are many pros and cons to the
use of artificial kidneys. Pros include the availability of
these devices. The alternative to kidney dialysis
is a kidney transplant. But there are not enough donor
kidneys available for all kidney failure patients. The cons of kidney dialysis include
physical discomfort. The patient is attached to needles
inserted into their blood vessels for the entire treatment. Another drawback is the time
commitment. Kidney dialysis requires about four
hours a day, three days a week, for the lifetime of the patient. A third drawback is dietary
restriction. Hemodialysis patients usually have
to avoid certain foods and limit their intake of fluids. A final major drawback is required
travel. Most dialysis patients have to
receive their treatments in a dialysis center.
Now we have enough information to
choose the correct response. To receive kidney dialysis, the
dialyzer needs to access the patient’s blood, which is removed and replaced through
needles or catheters. This frequent puncturing of the
skin can cause a risk of infection. They also have to travel to a
dialysis center, where there is a risk of acquired infection from being in contact
with the hospital-like setting.
So the correct response is “An
infectious agent could find its way to the patient’s bloodstream, causing a
hospital-acquired infection.”
