Why is it important for helaathcare practioners to understand osmosis

hi kirsty

Many applications in biology are based on osmosis and diffusion. A popular one being dialysis, explained below...

Osmosis and Dialysis

Kidney dialysis machines use osmosis to take over the filtering function of the kidneys. Dialysis machines use a semi-permeable membrane, which is a membrane through which some small molecules can pass (such as water, salts, and metabolites) but through which larger objects (such as proteins and blood cells) cannot. Dialysis machines take the blood and place a semi-permeable membrane between the blood and a large volume of a liquid called the dialysis solution. Osmosis causes the metabolites to flow out of the blood, through the membrane, and into the dialysis solution, which is continuously replaced. The membrane also allows electrolytes to pass through so that the blood can get rid of extra electrolytes. Consequently, dialysis machines use the power of osmosis to get toxins out of the blood and replace the filtering function of the kidneys.