Sorbent Chemicals in Hemodialysis and Medicine

Abstract

From a medical standpoint, sorbent chemicals can be thought of as the converse of drugs. Drugs are chemicals which are given in concentrated form, which distribute within body tissue, and which produce (hopefully) beneficial physiological effects. In medical use, sorbents are exposed to body fluids, accumulate drugs or physiological chemicals within them, and produce (hopefully) beneficial effects. For both sorbents and drugs, the speed of the physiological benefit is usually limited by the rate of distribution of chemicals within the body tissues.