Review: Functions of the Kidney (Nursing)

00:01 Hi! Welcome to our video series on Kidney Functions.

00:04 Now, I named this one the body is small, but mighty superheroes because they can do incredible things.

00:12 So let's start with asking you a question.

00:14 What do you think are the kidneys superpowers? Meaning, how many things can you list right now that you know the kidneys involved in? Well, we're going to talk about six really important superpowers or functions of the kidney.

00:30 Now first of all, the kidney is clean and maintain extracellular fluid.

00:36 Okay, so fluid can only be two spaces in the body, right? Inside the cell and outside the cell.

00:42 And the kidneys job is to keep that extracellular fluid, that fluid that's outside of the cell clean and well balanced.

00:49 The kidneys manage your acid-base balance.

00:52 Have you studied ABG's? And we look at the pH of the blood.

00:56 Kidneys are a major player in maintaining a strong and solid acid-base balance.

01:02 Remember, in normal pH is 7.35 to 7.45.

01:07 Now, when you think of the kidneys, you always think about peeing, right? Well, they help us excrete waste and substances.

01:14 So when the kidneys are functioning well, we can get rid of drugs and other waste products from the body.

01:20 When the kidneys aren't functioning, you tend to have a buildup, possibly even to toxic levels.

01:25 Alright, so we're going to talk about six, but we have three.

01:29 They clean and maintain extracellular fluid.

01:31 They maintain an acid-base balance, and they excrete waste and other substances that we want to get out of the body.

01:39 Now, let's look at the next three.

01:42 They help with the regulation of blood pressure.

01:44 Whoa, yeah, that's why people with kidney disease have crazy high blood pressures.

01:50 And remember, blood pressure can also be related to salt and water balance, we know the kidneys are really involved in that.

01:56 So that's another area that plays into our blood pressure.

01:59 The more salt you have the more water you have to hang on to.

02:03 Your intravascular volume goes up as does your blood pressure.

02:07 So they clean and maintain acid base balance, excrete waste, and they manage the regulation of your blood pressure.

02:15 They also hang on to things.

02:17 So they reabsorb the things that we need to keep in the body.

02:20 Water, glucose, and amino acids.

02:23 Now the sixth function is they produce hormones, and an enzyme.

02:28 Okay, now, got a minute.

02:30 Write these down and we'll come back to them later.

02:32 But the hormones are calcitriol and erythropoietin.

02:37 Remember, that's the one that helps stimulate red blood cell production.

02:41 So the hormones are calcitriol and erythropoietin.

02:45 And the enzyme is...

02:47 Ready? Renin.

02:49 Now that should sound familiar to you from the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System right? The RAAS.

02:56 The one that plays another major role in maintaining blood pressure.

03:00 So let's review those six one more time.

03:03 They clean and maintain extracellular fluid.

03:06 They maintain acid-base balance.

03:09 They get rid of wastes.

03:11 They reabsorb the things that we want to keep.

03:14 And they regulate blood pressure.

03:17 They also produce enzymes and hormones.

03:20 So the enzyme is renin.

03:22 The hormones are calcitriol and erythropoietin.

03:25 Now, I want you to notice what we did on that one.

03:28 I didn't go in the exact order of the six the way we have it on the slide.

03:32 That's a study tip for you.

03:33 When you're trying to look at a group of a list of things that you want to remember, first, go through them in one order and then kind of look for ways to chunk them together.

03:43 If you look at the slide that we have for you their regulation of blood pressure, we were talking about salt and water there and producing the enzyme renin both go along with blood pressure.

03:55 So make sure you chunk that information together when you're reviewing your notes.

03:59 See, it's simple, quick steps like that that will help you encode that information and remember it.

04:05 Okay, so I've talked to you for a little bit.

04:07 So see if you can cover up your notes and how many of those six main functions or superpowers you can remember.

04:14 That's the best time to reinforce your learning.

04:16 So pause the video, see how many of those six you can list without looking at your notes.

04:27 Now, the reason we want you to know the main functions and superpowers of the kidney, is because when they don't function well, when the kidneys are limping, when they're not able to function at the top level, all six of these areas are going to be impacted.

04:41 Let's talk about what percentage of filtered blood is reabsorbed and put back into circulation through the renal vein.

04:48 Remember, blood enters through the renal artery.

04:52 It exits through the renal vein.

04:54 So how much of that filtered blood is reabsorbed? The answer...

04:59 A whopping 99%.

05:02 So most of it.

05:04 Want to keep that in mind we're thinking about fluid, and waste, and acid-base balance in the body.