Pre- and postdilution hemofiltration
Sau, G.
Giornale Italiano di Nefrologia Organo Ufficiale Della Societa Italiana di Nefrologia 29(Suppl 55): S31-S36
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 0393-5590 PMID: 22723141 Document Number: 662687
Hemofiltration is a dialysis technique based on uremic toxin removal by convection only. It can significantly increase the removal of high-molecularweight solutes. The introduction of online technology has contributed to the widespread use of this technique at a reduced cost. The clinical benefits are improved cardiovascular stability and better efficiency of β2-microglobulin removal with reduction of uremic amyloidosis. Moreover, hemofiltration is the method of choice for continuous therapy in critically ill patients. Its limitation is the low removal of small molecules, which depends on the ultrafiltrate volume. Reinfusion to replace the large volume of ultrafiltrate produced during hemofiltration can be done in postdilution or predilution mode. The latter ensures better flow conditions and better urea clearance. For this reason intermittent hemofiltration in predilution mode is generally the most used technique.