Solute Clearance in Continuous Venovenous Hemodialysis

Abstract

Critically ill patients with ARF and MOSF were treated with continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD). The BSM 22 delivery system (CGH Medical, Denver, CO) and four different dialyzer membranes were used. Vascular access was achieved with a dual lumen catheter placed percutaneously into a large vein. Heparin was used for anticoagulation, and commercially available peritoneal dialysis fluid was used as dialysate. At a fixed blood flow rate of 100 ml/min, the dialysate inflow and outflow rates were regulated to control azotemia and fluid balance. Blood side and dialysate side clearances for urea nitrogen, creatinine, bicarbonate, and lactate were measured. All dialyzer membranes studied provided high urea nitrogen clearance approximating dialysate outflow rate and resulting in excellent control of azotemia. Some of the dialyzer membranes also had high creatinine and bicarbonate clearances. Bicarbonate loss was balanced by lactate uptake with all dialyzers. It is concluded that CVVHD is an efficient and safe therapy for acute renal failure, capable of maintaining nitrogen balance in patients with protein catabolic rates up to 2 g/kg/day. Urea nitrogen clearance is dependent upon dialysate outflow rate rather than the dialyzer membrane type or dialyzer flow geometry, and may prove to be the modality of choice for therapy of acute renal failure in unstable patients with MOSF.