dialysis: Information from Answers.com Mobile

dialysis

Process of removing blood from a patient with kidney failure, purifying it with a hemodialyzer (artificial kidney), and returning it to the bloodstream. Many substances (including urea and inorganic salts) in the blood pass through a porous membrane in the machine into a sterile solution; particles such as blood cells and proteins are too large to pass. This process controls the acid-base balance of the blood and its content of water and dissolved materials.

For more information on dialysis, visit Britannica.com.