MEE 0844 Lecture 3: Chapter 3
31 May 2016
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Kidneys remove waste products and excess fluid from the body through urine. Nephron acts as a ultrafilter and processes 180 l of blood per day. Also regulates blood pressure, production of red blood cells (erythropoietin), salts and vitamin d. Until 1940s, kidney failure meant an agonizing death over 6 weeks. Dr. willem kolff invented a rotating drum kidney" in 1943. As a short term measure a dialysis unit was developed. Problem: only does the job of filtration, can"t perform all of kidney"s function, vascular access. Scribner shunt: kind of like artificial kidney, chronic hemodialysis first became available in 1960, problem: not enough dialysis machines (money to make enough machines) available to treat all patients. Before doctors often made decisions themselves, without input from patients or families about who gets the bed and treatment and who doesn"t. Scribner established first bioethics committee" physician versus society.
