The use of an artificial kidney to clear urea, metabolic waste products, toxins, and excess fluid from the blood. This procedure is used to treat end-stage renal failure, transient renal failure, and some cases of poisoning or drug overdose. In the U.S., more than 345,000 patients undergo hemodialysis regularly for end-stage renal disease. The primary use of hemodialysis is to manage renal failure, a disorder in which fluids, acids, electrolytes, and many drugs are ineffectively eliminated in the urine. Hyperkalemia, uremia, fluid overload, acidosis, and uremic pericarditis are other indications for hemodialysis.
Hemodialysis, a technique employed to mechanically purify the blood outside of the body, with the purpose of eliminating diverse substances that would typically be filtered by the kidneys. Hemodialysis is utilized when an individual experiences partial or total kidney failure.