Dialysis Flashcards
What are the three concepts that underlie dialysis?
Diffusion, convection and adsorption
What does dialysis allow?
Removal of toxins which build up with ESRD (e.g urea, sodium, potassium) and infusion of bicarbonate
What is haemodialysis?
Blood is removed from the body and filtered through a man-made membrane called a dialyser
Filtered blood is then returned to the body
What are the contents of the dialysate when it is removed and returned to the body?
Leaving = urea, creatine, Na+, K+, other toxins Entering = pure H2O, Na+, K+, HCO3-
How does haemodialysis get rid of water?
Ultrafiltration = negative pressure of 100-200 mmHg needed to cause convective solute drag
What is ultrafiltration?
Movement of water and the solutes dissolved in it across a semi-permeable membrane in response to a pressure gradient
What is principally affected by adsorption?
Plasma proteins and any solutes that might be bound to them
What happens to plasma proteins?
Stick to the membrane surface and are removed by membrane binding (especially those of low molecular weight)
Which membranes adsorb protein-bound solutes best?
High flux membranes are better at adsorbing than low flux membranes
What is the difference in mechanism between haemodialysis and haemodiafiltration?
Haemodialysis is primarily diffusive whilst haemodiafiltration is increasingly convective in nature
What effect does increasing the convective force in haemodiafiltration have?
The greater the convective force, the greater the generated volume of the pressure-driven ultrafiltrate
What effect does large volumes of ultrafiltrate have?
Adds enormously to solute drag, especially for the larger middle molecule solute class
How does diffusion occur in haemodiafiltration?
Down engineered concentration gradients
What are some factors that affect the efficiency of convective transport?
Water flux (rate and volume) Viscosity of fluid within membrane pores Membrane pore size = big/little holes, and their ratios Hydrostatic pressure difference across membrane Size, shape and electrical charge of molecules
What is the key difference between haemodialysis and haemodiafiltration?
Replacement of extra-convective ultrafiltrate, throughout the dialysis period (minus any intended ultrafiltration volume)
Why is the composition and purity of the replacement fluid given in haemodiafiltration important?
Re-infusate is given directly into the patient’s circulation
What is high volume haemodifiltration defined as?
Replacement volumes >20 litres
What are the benefits of haemodiafiltration?
Offers smoother, less symptomatic treatment than HD
Enhances recovery time and improves survival
Achieves results at a similar cost to conventional HD
What is the minimum dialysis prescription?
4hrs, 3 times a week