Organ Failure OWEThe kidneys are one of the most vital organs in the human body that perform important functions by removing and filtering waste products from the blood present in the body. The kidneys also work in the body to balance the regulation of blood pressure, the production of blood cells, and also to balance the water and minerals in the body, such as salt and electrolytes in the bloodstream ("Kidney Failure"). When blood is filtered by the kidneys in the body, urine is produced and this urine is collected in the pelvis of the kidney which is also connected to the bladder in which the urine is disposed of. Figure 1 shows the anatomy of the kidneys in the body and then shows how they are connected to the bladder.Fig 1Diagram of the kidneys in the human body. Digital image from the web. The kidneys (human anatomy): image, function, definition and conditions. WebMD, accessed Saturday, April 5, 2014. http://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/articles/image_article_collections/anatomy_pages/Kidney2.jpg Kidney failure occurs when waste products build up in the body due to the kidneys not being able to filter waste products properly. Human waste then accumulates in the blood and body and when the concentration of waste present in the bloodstream becomes too high, kidney failure is affected by harmful symptoms usually known as uremia. Kidney failure can be classified into two different groups, acute kidney injury (AKI) or chronic kidney disease (CKD). AKI is known as rapid loss of kidney function and can generally be identified by low urine output. Chronic kidney disease develops at a slower rate and shows few or almost no symptoms at first. Kidney damage and loss of function lasting more than 3 months can be...... half of the article....... http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides /acute-renal -failure-topic-overview Accessed Saturday, April 5, 2014“Kidney Transplants” Kidney Transplant Facts and Information http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/kidney-transplant/basics/definition/prc-20014007 Accessed Saturday, April 5 April 2014“How Kidney Procedures Go” Kidney Transplant Procedure http://www.nhs. uk/Conditions/Kidney-transplant/Pages/How-is-it-performed.aspx Accessed Saturday 5 April 2014“Kidneys-How it's performed” How is it performed (surgically)? http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/kidney_transplantation/hic_kidney_transplant_procedure.aspx Accessed Saturday, April 5, 2014“Advantages and Disadvantages of Kidney Transplant” Advantages and Disadvantages. http://www.cpmc.org/advanced/kidney/patients/topics/benefits_transplant.html Accessed Saturday, April 5 2014