What is the artificial means of removing waste products from the body when kidneys fail?

• A. Transplant
• B. Nephrectomy
• C. Dialysis
• D. Renal Replacement

Answer: (C)

Dialysis is the method that replaces kidney filtering function when the kidneys can’t remove waste and extra fluid on their own. It works by cleaning the blood through either a machine outside the body (hemodialysis) or by using the lining of the abdomen as a filter (peritoneal dialysis). In hemodialysis, blood is circulated through a dialyzer where waste products like urea and excess fluids are removed before the blood returns to the body. Peritoneal dialysis uses a dialysis solution introduced into the abdominal cavity, where waste passes into the solution and is then drained away.

Transplant involves replacing the failed kidney with a donor organ, which is not an artificial means of removal. Nephrectomy is surgical removal of a kidney. Renal replacement is a broader term that can include dialysis or transplantation, but the question’s focus on an artificial means of removing waste points to dialysis.