dialysers

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablemedicalBritish

   A machine or filter that removes waste products from a patient's blood when the kidneys cannot do this.

   Grammar: Countable: one machine is 'a dialyser', several are 'dialysers'.

   Patterns

   • a dialyser machine
   • on a dialyser
   • use a dialyser

   The hospital bought ten new dialysers for the kidney unit.

   Patients with kidney failure may need to spend several hours a week connected to a dialyser.

   The nurse checked that the dialyser was working before starting the treatment.

2. 2nouncountabletechnicalspecialist

   A small device or filter used in a laboratory to separate particles of different sizes from a liquid.

   Grammar: Countable, often used in scientific writing about equipment.

   Patterns

   • a laboratory dialyser
   • use a dialyser to separate something

   The chemists used a dialyser to purify the protein solution.

   A dialyser can separate large molecules from small ones in the lab.

Word forms

Common combinations

kidney dialyser

The kidney dialyser must be cleaned between patients.

dialysis machine

A dialysis machine and a dialyser are often used together.

dialyser membrane

The dialyser membrane lets waste pass through but keeps blood cells in.

run a dialyser

Technicians run the dialyser for several hours per session.

Synonyms and how they differ

dialysis machine

This is the more general term for the whole apparatus, while 'dialyser' often refers specifically to the filter unit.

artificial kidney

A lay term for the same device; it is less technical than 'dialyser'.

Word family

dialysis noun

The medical process of cleaning blood using a dialyser.

dialyse verb

British spelling of the verb meaning to perform dialysis.

dialyzer noun

American spelling of the same device.

Commonly confused: dialysers or dialysis?

Practice

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