The Kidneys

The body's two kidneys each process waste before sending it to the bladder for removal as urine. Kidney failure happens when it can no longer process this waste. The kidney works when the filtration structures called the nephrons purify and filter the blood. There are nearly one million nephrons in each kidney. The nephrons regulate the amount of water, salts, glucose, urea and other minerals in the body.

Within the nephron a structure called the glomerulus acts as the main filter. The glomerulus is a twisting bundle of very small tubes which process the blood. The water and wastes dissolved within inside are excreted out of it as urine. The remaining, purified blood exits the glomerulus and is returned to the body.

When rhabdomyolysis occurs muscle tissue is damaged in one form or another. See causes >>

After muscle tissue breaks down, the iron containing pigments, myoglobin and hemoglobin are released into the bloodstream. These compounds are very difficult for the kidneys to process. Doctors do not believe that the Myoglobin and hemoglobin have a direct toxic effect on the glomerulus, but rather block the filters. After which the body cannot process and purify its blood leading to a potentially life threatening condition.

If the kidney failure is severe, a patient can process the waste by having dialysis, in which they are hooked up to a machine that does the kidney's work by pumping blood out of the body and sending it into a dialysis machine for processing. The machine filters the waste out of the blood. If the kidney is permanently damaged it may require a kidney transplantation.

Kidney Transplants

In the event the disease is left untreated for a long period, the patient may suffer from a complete Kidney failure, requiring surgery to replace the damaged organ. Among organ transplant surgeries, kidney transplants are the most common, with nearly 12,000 kidney transplants performed each year in the United States. The procedure involves implanting a donated kidney into the patient with kidney failure. The patient will need to find a suitable donor who matches their blood type and biological characteristics. Since people can survive with only one kidney, the donor may be live and neither they nor the patient will need dialysis after the transplant.

The Surgery, under general anesthesia usually last from between 2 to 3 hours. The kidneys that are not working are left where they are, while the donated one is transplanted next to them. The surgeon attached the kidneys blood vessels to blood vessels in the legs. The surgeon also attaches the ureter (the tube which transports waste) to the bladder.

After the first day, the kidney begins to gradually work. The chief danger is that the body's immune system will reject the new organ. Not recognizing it, the body may attack it, causing serious complications. Therefore, after the transplant, the patient will undergo a drug therapy designed to suppress the immune system. The medicines, called Immunosuppressive antirejection medications will need to be taken the rest of the patient's life. Some common drugs include tacrolimus (Prograf) and cyclosporine A (Sandimmune). Less than half of patients will have a significant rejection problem.