KIN 191 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Hydrostatics, Arteriole, Reabsorption
Document Summary
The primary function of the kidney is filtration. Kidneys have 3 main functions: excretory organ: eliminates waste, toxins, and excess water, regulatory organ: controls blood ion levels, ph, volume, pressure, osmolarity (solute concentration in blood, and glucose levels, endocrine organ: produces erythropoietin (epo) and calcitrol. The kidneys are 0. 5% of body weight but receive 25% of blood flow. The kidney can be referred to as a smart filter since it adjusts filtering to maintain homeostasis. Two flow systems, fluid in and fluid out (nephron) Nephrons are the functional filtering units of the kidneys. We have about 2 million nephrons per kidney. Nephron filtering occurs in 3 steps: glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, tubular secretion. In glomerular filtration, the blood vessel becomes very thin arterioles in order to increase pressure, increase surface area, but decrease velocity, all allowing for better diffusion. Blood flow through the kidneys is about 1l/minute, and 1400l/day, where about.
