Ultrafiltration rates and survival

New York, July 5, 2000 (Praxis Press) Continuous renal replacement therapies (CRRT) are increasingly replacing intermittent hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis in the treatment of acute renal failure in critically ill patients. However, there is no consensus on the appropriate treatment dose or the impact of dose delivery on outcome. In a prospective randomized trial, Ronco et al determined that an increase in the rate of ultrafiltration in continuous veno-venous hemofiltration significantly improves the survival rate of these critically ill patients (see paper). The study recommends continuous veno-venous hemofiltration with careful monitoring, and an ultrafiltration dosage tailored to the patients' bodyweight with a minimum dose of 35 mL h-¹ kg-¹.