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Week Five

Overview

In Week Five, you will learn the basic function and structure of the urinary system, along with some common terminology used. The urinary system produces, stores, and eliminates wastes to maintain cell balance. The urinary system includes the urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidneys. The urinary system maintains water and salt balance in the body.

There are different diseases that can affect the urinary system, and medical testing is performed to assess body functions and disease processes. To assign the correct diagnosis and procedure codes, and to process accurate claims, you must first be able to read and comprehend medical documentation that contains anatomy and physiology terms related to the urinary system.

What you will cover

1. Urinary system

a. The urinary system aids in the process of secreting and eliminating urine. The urinary system includes the urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidneys.

b. Identify common medical terms for the urinary system.

1) Aldosterone: The body relies on the hormone corticosteroid to regulate water, balance salt levels, and stimulate the kidneys to absorb sodium.

2) Antidiuretic hormone (known as vasopressin): stimulates the kidneys to move water back into the blood to increase blood volume

3) Cortical nephron: microscopic functional unit of the kidney

4) Efferent arterioles: blood vessels in the urinary tract that carry blood away from the glomerulus in the kidney, which aids in filtering

5) External urethral sphincter: muscle that controls urination

6) Glomerulus: capillaries within the nephron (functional unit within the kidney) where kidney filtration takes place

7) Renal medulla: innermost part of the kidney

8) Renin angiotensin aldosteron: This hormone regulates blood pressure and kidney balance. When the hormone is abnormally active, a person’s blood pressure will become too high, which affects the kidneys and heart.

9) Catheterization: the process in which a thin tube is inserted through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine

10) Hemodialysis: a method to achieve removal of waste from the blood when the kidneys fail

c. Identify the structure and function of the urinary system.

1) Structure

a) Kidney: organ that filters blood and produces urine, which controls fluid and ionic balance

b) Ureter: tube that connects the pelvis of the kidneys to the bladder

c) Bladder: membrane sac in which urine is collected for secretion

d) Urethra: tube that connects the bladder to the outside of the body

2) Function

a) To remove waste products and maintain water and electrolyte levels: The system is also a blood-filtering mechanism.

d. Describe major diseases that affect the urinary system.

1) Polycystic kidney disease: a condition in which cysts develop on the kidneys, which can result in a urinary tract infection and bleeding

2) Chronic renal failure: Proper kidney function begins to cease, which can result in end-stage renal failure.

3) End-stage renal failure: Kidneys can no longer work at a level to maintain day-to-day life; patients would require dialysis or potentially an organ transplant.

4) Diabetes insipidus: a rare form of diabetes that results in the deficiency of vasopressin, a pituitary hormone. Vasopressin regulates kidney function.

5) Glomerulonephritis: inflammation of the kidneys

6) Urinary tract infection: bladder infection that can spread to the kidneys

7) Kidney stones: calcium-derived masses formed within the kidneys

e. Describe major laboratory and diagnostic tests that are used to assess urinary diseases (not all are listed in the text).

1) Urine culture: urine test that helps identify bacteria that may be causing infection

2) Urinalysis: microscopic analysis of urine that can be used to screen and diagnosis for disease process

3) Kidney function: a blood test to determine how the kidneys are functioning

4) Blood urea nitrogen (BUN): A blood test determines the amount of nitrogen in the blood that has been produced by urea, a waste product. Urea is produced in the liver as a result of the breakdown of protein. It is secreted in the urine.

5) Retrograde pyelogram: an X-ray that can visualize the bladder, ureters, and renal pelvis

6) Cystoscopy: a test in which a thin scope is inserted into the urethra to view the bladder for disease process

7) Ultrasound: a radiology procedure in which sound waves are used to assess the shape, size, and location of organs

8) Biopsy: a pathology examination of tissue removed during testing to assess for disease process

f. Describe the main health care providers for the urinary department.

1) The nephrologist specializes in disorders of the kidneys. Nephrology is the study, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions pertaining to the kidneys.

2) The urologist specializes in disorders of the male and female urinary tract and disorders of the male reproductive organs. Urology is the study, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions pertaining the urinary tract and disorders within the male reproductive organs.

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