What is the process of removing waste products from the blood called?

The process of removing waste products from the blood is most accurately described as hemodialysis. This specialized medical procedure involves the use of a machine that acts as an artificial kidney, filtering out waste products such as urea and creatinine from the bloodstream. Hemodialysis is typically used for patients with kidney failure, as these patients cannot effectively filter these substances on their own due to impaired kidney function.

During hemodialysis, blood is drawn from the body, passed through a dialyzer (the artificial kidney), where it is cleaned, and then returned to the body. This method allows for the removal of excess waste products and helps to maintain the body's electrolyte balance, crucial for overall health.

In contrast, other options like dialysis in general might be a broader term that includes different forms of waste removal from the blood, including peritoneal dialysis, which uses the lining of the abdomen to filter blood, but does not specifically specify the process being limited to blood filtration through a machine. Plasmapheresis involves the separation and removal of plasma, while filtration generally refers to a more basic physical process that does not specifically pertain to blood treatment. Thus, hemodialysis is the more precise answer for this context.