Why dialysis a life saving procedure?

Dialysis is the artificial process of eliminating waste and unwanted water from the blood. Our kidenys do this naturally. Some people, however, may have failed or damaged kidenys which cannot carry out the function properly- they may need dialysis. Dr. Willem Kolff is considered the father of dialysis.

The Dutch physician constructed the first machine for dialysis. He was working in a small ward at the university of Groningen Hospital in the Netherlands, where he watched helplessly as a young man died slowly of kideny faliure. Kolff decided to find a way to make a machine that would do the work of the kidenys.

When World War 2 broke out, Kloff continued his experiment, despite several hurdles, and the most challenging conditions. But his effort bore fruit, and he finally succeeded in making such a machine. Kolff's machine is considered the firs modern drum dialyzer, and it remained the standard for the next decade. Since then, many improvements have been made, and gaint strides have been taken in the treatment of kideny failure.