What term describes the use of more than one type of pressure to remove fluid from the blood during dialysis?

What term describes the use of more than one type of pressure to remove fluid from the blood during dialysis?

• A. Dialysis
• B. Osmosis
• C. Ultrafiltration
• D. Filtration

Answer: (C)

Ultrafiltration is the process of removing fluid from the blood by forcing plasma water across the dialysis membrane under pressure. In a dialyzer, the blood side and the dialysate side create a transmembrane pressure, driven by the machine’s pumps and the patient’s vascular pressures. Water moves from blood into the dialysate, removing excess fluid. This relies on multiple pressure factors: hydrostatic pressure in the blood, hydrostatic pressure in the dialysate, and the opposing oncotic pressure from plasma proteins; the net balance of these pressures sets how much fluid is removed. Other terms describe general mechanisms (dialysis is the overall therapy, osmosis is movement due to solute differences, filtration is a broader term), but the specific process used to remove fluid by a pressure gradient in dialysis is ultrafiltration.

Ultrafiltration is the process of removing fluid from the blood by forcing plasma water across the dialysis membrane under pressure. In a dialyzer, the blood side and the dialysate side create a transmembrane pressure, driven by the machine’s pumps and the patient’s vascular pressures. Water moves from blood into the dialysate, removing excess fluid. This relies on multiple pressure factors: hydrostatic pressure in the blood, hydrostatic pressure in the dialysate, and the opposing oncotic pressure from plasma proteins; the net balance of these pressures sets how much fluid is removed. Other terms describe general mechanisms (dialysis is the overall therapy, osmosis is movement due to solute differences, filtration is a broader term), but the specific process used to remove fluid by a pressure gradient in dialysis is ultrafiltration.