When Kidneys Go Bad: Kidney Dialysis

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When Kidneys Go Bad Kidney Dialysis

• Research by Kristen McAlpine Emily Norvell
• Mentored by Eric Mock and Tricia Lytton

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Things to Know

• Calibration
• A way to get data in a desired format from a
  related source
• We found concentration by measuring the
  conductivity at known concentrations to create a
  formula for each salt
• Concentration
• How much of an object is in a specific volume
• PPM
• Stands for parts per million. Measures
  concentration
• Conductivity
• Relates to the electric charge created by salt
  ions in water

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• Micromhos
• The unit for conductivity
• Equilibrium
• When ions are diffusing back and forth through
  the membrane at the same rate
• Blood
• A solution of water and a salt compound either
  potassium chloride or potassium acetate
• Dialysis Fluid
• Deionized water

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About the Kidneys

• In normal body conditions the kidneys
• Removes wastes
• Removes high concentration of normal components
• Regulates chemical balance
• Secrete hormones

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Artificial Kidneys

• Blood runs through membranes
• Dialysis fluid runs counter flow
• Diffuse out toxins
• Blood recycles
• New Dialysis fluid

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Clean Blood
Clean Dialysis Fluid
Dirty Dialysis Fluid
Dirty Blood
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Objective

• To experiment with different conditions
• Flow rate
• Different size toxins
• Changing flow rates during dialysis
• To find the most successful conditions that
• Clean the blood the fastest
• Clean the blood the most thoroughly

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Procedure

• Red-with our smaller salt we ran the dialysis
  fluid slower than the blood
• Dark Red- we ran the same salt faster than the
  blood
• Purple We increased the number that we
  increased the flow rate by two more every minute,
  up to 480, which is where the pump could not go
  any higher
• Light Blue We changed the toxin to a salt
  that has a larger ion attached to it
• Dark Blue With the larger toxin, we added 250
  PPM to the dialysis fluid, to reach equilibrium
  sooner.

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Results

• Red The salt concentration dropped quickly at
  the beginning, but slowed down drastically.
• Dark Red This one dropped the fastest and ended
  sooner than the red.
• Purple This was more linear, making it more
  successful at minimizing shock and time.
• Light Blue At the same speed of the smaller
  salt, this one took longer for the concentration
  to drop.
• Dark Blue This data is not very accurate due to
  an obstructed tube in the beginning and a faulty
  conductivity probe. The line starts to taper off
  as it reaches equilibrium at 250 PPM.

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Conclusion

• The smaller toxin passed through the membrane
  faster
• Increasing the dialysis flow rate by a growing
  amount creates a more linear graph
• A linear decrease in salt is the most effective
• The faster the dialysis fluid flow rate the less
  concentration of toxins over time
• Toxins in the dialysis fluid causes the blood to
  stop at that concentration