Book
Care of patients with renal failure
Completion requirements
"last update: 9 March 2025"
- Kidney failure
➡️Definition:
Kidney failure is a medical condition that occurs when the kidneys stop
functioning properly. The kidneys are vital organs responsible for filtering
waste and excess fluids from the blood, regulating the balance of chemicals in
the body, and contributing to blood pressure control. When a person suffers
from kidney failure, the kidneys cannot perform these functions adequately.
➡️Kidney failure can be:
Acute kidney failure: It occurs suddenly and is often due to direct kidney
injury or problems such as a sudden drop in blood pressure, poisoning, or
urinary tract obstruction.
Chronic kidney failure: It develops gradually over the years due to long-term
diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure, leading to the destruction of
kidney tissues over time.
➡️Causes of kidney
failure:
1 - Causes related to the circulatory system (reduced blood flow to the
kidneys, leading to kidney failure).
Note:
The kidney will not function efficiently until 20% of the blood pumped from the
heart reaches it.
2 - Causes that occur within the kidneys, such as (nephritis).
3 - Causes related to post-renal parts such as (partial or complete obstruction
of the ureter or bladder due to the presence of a stone, which prevents urine
from passing, causing it to accumulate in the ureter and return to the kidney
again).
➡️Symptoms of acute
kidney failure:
1 - Nausea and vomiting
2 - Itching
3 - Spasms
4 - Swelling in the limbs
5 - Crystal clear effusion
6 - Urine output less than 400 cm³/day (normal is 1500 cm³/day)
➡️Symptoms of chronic
kidney failure:
Anemia
Fatigue speed
Increase in blood creatinine
Low specific gravity in urine
Swelling in the limbs
Bleeding rate
The patient needs dialysis in the following cases:
BUN
< 35 mg/dL
Creatinine < 800 micromol/L
bicarbonate > 12 mmol/L
➡️The purpose of
washing:
1. Removal of urea and creatinine from the blood
2. Maintaining the appropriate salt levels in the body
3. Removing excess fluids from the body's blood.
➡️Types of dialysis :
Peritoneal dialysis is done through the peritoneal membrane.
Blood washing is done through blood.
