Hemofiltration is a renal replacement therapy used chiefly in the intensive care setting to treat acute kidney injury, and it may also benefit patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome or sepsis. During the procedure, a patient's blood is passed through a filtration circuit to a semipermeable membrane, where waste products and water, together called the ultrafiltrate, are removed by convection rather than by the diffusion used in standard dialysis, and a replacement fluid is added before the blood is returned to the patient. Because convection drags both small and large solutes across the membrane at a similar rate, hemofiltration can clear larger solutes more effectively than hemodialysis, which relies on the slower process of diffusion.
Facts
Origin YearMarks continuous hemofiltration first description by Kramer and colleagues in a 1977 paper, per the cited source. Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemofiltration, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemofiltration, lead section
Hemofiltration, also haemofiltration, is a renal replacement therapy used in the intensive care setting.
2. Wikipedia: Hemofiltration
WikipediaContinuous hemofiltration or hemodiafiltration (CHDF) sectionQuote, Continuous hemofiltration or hemodiafiltration (CHDF) section
Continuous hemofiltration (CHF) was first described in a 1977 paper by Kramer et al.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does hemofiltration differ from ordinary dialysis?
It removes waste by convection rather than diffusion, which clears larger solutes more effectively.
Hemofiltration is a renal replacement therapy used chiefly in intensive care for acute kidney injury. Blood passes through a filtration circuit to a semipermeable membrane, where waste products and water are removed by convection, and a replacement fluid is added before the blood is returned. Standard hemodialysis relies on the slower process of diffusion, whereas convection drags small and large solutes across the membrane at a similar rate, so hemofiltration can clear larger solutes more effectively.
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