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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)