Development Year: 1943
Inventor: Willem J. Kolff
Description: Dialysis is a medical treatment used to artificially filter and purify the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to perform this function naturally. This is typically required in advanced stages of kidney failure.
Functionality: Dialysis works by mimicking the natural function of the kidneys to remove waste, excess salt, and water from the body, as well as to regulate important chemicals in the blood, such as potassium and sodium. In hemodialysis, blood is circulated outside the body through a machine where it is filtered and cleaned before being returned to the body. In peritoneal dialysis, a special fluid is introduced into the abdomen where it absorbs waste products from the blood through the peritoneal membrane, and then the fluid is drained away, taking the waste with it.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dialysis/#:~:text=Dialysis%20is%20a%20procedure%20to,a%20machine%20to%20be%20cleaned.