Final answer:
K+ can be removed from the body using diuretics, which promote urinary excretion, and hemodialysis, which is an artificial process to filter out waste products and excess electrolytes like potassium from the blood using a semipermeable membrane in a dialysis machine.
Step-by-step explanation:
K+ (potassium) can be removed from the body through several medical interventions when the kidneys are not functioning properly. Among these are diuretics and hemodialysis. Diuretics work by causing the kidneys to excrete more sodium into the urine; as sodium is excreted, water follows, and potassium is often exchanged for sodium, leading to increased potassium excretion.
Hemodialysis, on the other hand, involves an artificial kidney machine that filters waste products and excess electrolytes from the blood. In hemodialysis, a patient's blood travels through tubes made of a semipermeable membrane material such as cellophane, which allows waste products like urea and potassium to pass through but retains larger molecules such as red blood cells. The blood is then separated from a dialysate solution, which is designed to draw wastes out by diffusion. This process efficiently removes excess potassium along with other waste products. Despite being life-saving, dialysis is not a permanent solution and is used until a patient can receive a kidney transplant, if they are eligible, or indefinitely for those who are not transplant candidates.