UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Hemofiltration

Category: Critical Care

Keywords: renal replacement therapy, hemofiltration (PubMed Search)

Posted: 12/23/2008 by Mike Winters, MBA, MD (Updated: 12/9/2024)
Click here to contact Mike Winters, MBA, MD

Hemofiltration

  • Renal replacement therapy (RRT) involves the use of semipermeable membranes to remove fluid and toxic substances from the bloodstream
  • The basic methods of RRT are hemodialysis (HD) and hemofiltration (HF)
  • There have been a few cases in our ED in which our Renal consultants have used HF
  • Hemofiltration can remove large volumes of fluid (up to 3 Liters per hour)
  • Major advantages to HF: less likely to produce hypotension than HD, can remove larger molecules than HD
  • Disadvantages to HF: must be done continuously to provide effective dialysis, requires anticoagulation to maintain circuit patency, not well suited for hypotensive patients (requires a hydrostatic pressure gradient for solute clearance)