The Controlled System Application in Hemodialysis - Essay Example

The Controlled System Application in Hemodialysis This paper is written to cover on the literature review on the controlled system application in Hemodialysis. This essay will provide the background on hemodialysis explaining on its origin and development. The essay will also cover the topic on system control and the hemodialysis design. With all that explained the essay will write on methods that are involved in Hemodialysis providing some controlled systems about hemodialysis used in clinics and a detail description of the controller, sensor/transmitter and actuator. Finally the essay will provide a summary of all the topics covered in this essay and explain on the drawbacks of the hemodialysis. The Need for Hemodialysis Hemodialysis Hemodialysis is a process in medical science that they use in removing waste from the blood. This process is achieved by the use of a machine which is able to remove createnine, urea and waste water from the blood. This process is applied to patients that are suffering from renal failure hence their kidneys are not in a position to clean the blood off impurities. History Hemodialysis is a medical process that originates as back as 1854 when Thomas graham introduced the principle that explained how solute can be transferred through a semi-permeable membrane. It was not until 1913 that the first artificial kidney was first created by Rountree Abel and Turner but it was not until 1943 that Willem Kolff created the first functional dialyzer. By 1950 the Willem Kolff dialyzer was already being used to treat renal acute failure but it could not be used to treat patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Throughout the years there have being improvements carried out and on it till the present day dialyzer which have been corporate with technology hence provide advanced services (Noordwijk 11) . Prescription For a patient to be prescribed for dialysis, the patient must be first examined by nephrologists. A nephrologist is a doctor who specifically deals with failing kidney. It is with the nephrologist that the patient will get to be informed of the frequency of the hemodialysis per week and he will know the time it will take per every session. The patient’s body will also undergo tests to check the level of potassium, sodium and bicarbonate. This information will be used to adjust the dialysis solution for the patient. Patients with residual kidney function that is substantial are usually limited twice per week while the more serious ones are given prescriptions for four sessions, mostly of three to four hours per session. Benefits of Hemodialysis The use of Hemodialysis has brought with it many advantages. Through Hemodialysis, patients with renal acute failure can know continue with their day to day lives without worry or any medical issues. It has also greatly reduced the mortality rate as nowadays very few people die from kidney failure and those who succumbed to kidney failure got to live longer than they were to without it. There have been fewer restrictions on their diets, a much better solute clearance and even good blood pressure control. Side Effects The use of the process of dialysis comes with its own side effects. Though there have been efforts to deal with these side effects, success has not yet being achieved. These side effects are sometimes considered the dialysis hangover. The severity is mostly depended on the amount of fluid passed through the body and the speed. The side effects include: Low blood pressure Fatigue Chest pains Leg cramps Nausea Headaches Microbes infection System Control The process of Hemodialysis is a very complex process as it has very many different variables. For this reason there is need for a system control that can manage all the changing variables. One of the systems concepts that are applied in controlling the Hemodialysis is the Fuzzy logic. This is the application of easy designs of controllers in the management of complex systems that vary continuously. The fuzzy logic uses very simple statements in processing and uses Boolean concepts to decide which process to be activated (Azer and Taher 29). Through this system control, the more complex process is performed by the machine hence leaving the simple ones to the operator. Hemodialysis Design Hemodialysis is a system that consists of pumps alarms and monitors. The pumps are set up to transmit the blood from the body into the Hemodialysis system whereby it is passed through the dialyzer then it is pumped back to the body through the pipes back to the body. The alarms in the system are responsible for checking of any irregularities in the system. The alarms will sound to indicate to show something needs to be changed hence ensure a safe process. The monitors are present to show all the present condition of the process. Method: Controlled Systems about the Hemodialysis in Clinical Using In the practice of Hemodialysis, there are several controlled systems that are set to ensure that the process is smooth. One of the controlled systems controls the volume of blood that flows in and out of the body. With this system a lot of blood is prevented from flowing out hence not over fill in the dialyzer. Controller, In a Hemodialysis system, the controller is responsible in managing all the output and input variables. The controller is responsible in balancing any discrepancies to ensure that the process is smooth. The controller is also responsible in modifying the actuators. Sensor/Transmitter, The sensors are responsible in collecting all the information it is assigned to from the blood that passes through. The sensor collects information about the blood pressure, temperature and PH. With this information the doctor can be able to know the state of the patient. Actuator The actuators are the arms of the controller. The actuator is a motor that is responsible in moving or in other cases controlling mechanisms in a system. The actuator usually uses a source of energy and it changes that energy into motion hence moving a mechanism. Summary In this essay we have seen that Hemodialysis has its history to as back as 1854. Through all the years it has undergone a lot of improvements to the present state whereby it can even dictate the state of the patient’s blood. Through all this change it has led to less deaths from kidney failure and not only that but patients get to live long even when there kidney has failed. The Drawback of the Systems However, even though Hemodialysis has brought much good it also has its down side: One of the down side of hemodialysis is that a patient is not free to travel that much. According to Guerrerro this is because it is a continuous process hence he or she must always be around (8). Another reason is that Hemodialysis requires very high supplies. These supplies are things like electricity and very high quality water. Hemodialysis requires good technology in the form of a dialysis machine. This is a drawback as the machine requires money to not only acquire but also to maintain. In most cases the patients pay for the maintenance of the machines which lead to high hospital bills. Another drawback of the Hemodialysis is that the machine is very complex to operate. For this reason the operator is required to have extra knowledge in order to operate this machine. Finally setting up the machine requires a lot of time which leads to extra expenses for the machine but also for the staff. This makes the process hectic and costly. A Future Work Design Technology is ever changing with improvements being made yearly. This gives hope that the drawbacks of the system will not permanent but just another reason to push scientist to try and remove that obstacle (Ponkvar 13). An effort is to be put to make the machine less complex hence enable even patients to be able to perform it. Another advancement to be made is to make the machine small in order to make it mobile so that it can stop confining patients in one area and the same time make it very affordable. Conclusion The evolution of Hemodialysis is one of the greatest medical marvels of the 21st century. Before its invention, many people were dying from kidney failures. However, with the discovery of the process of dialysis, many patients are being saved not only from the pain caused by kidney failure but also from death. When it was first into practice in 1943, the process was not able to cure stage 5 kidney failure diseases. However through the years the process has evolved to the present state where even stage 5 patients have hope. Though hemodialysis has brought much good it has also brought its down side. These drawbacks are what are keeping people from fully embracing the process even though they still adopt it as they do not have any other option. However, scientist has not refrain from looking for ways to improve the process and make it more comfortable. The near future promises much but all we can do is hope that there will be a much better version of the Hemodialysis process. Works cited Azar, Ahmad Taher. Modeling and Control of Dialysis Systems. Berlin: Springer, 2013. Print. Guerrerro, Veronica Plazas. "Understanding the Life Experience of People on Hemodialysis: Adherence to Treatment and Quality of Life." Nephrology Nursing Journal, May 1, 2014. Noordwijk, Jacob Van. Dialysing for Life: The Development of the Artificial Kidney. Dordrecht [etc.: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001. Ponikvar, Jadranka. Present Status and Future of Hemodialysis. Print. Read More