Detection and Scoring of Extracorporeal Circuit Clotting During Hemodialysis

Floris Vanommeslaeghe; Wim Van Biesen; Karlien François

doi:10.1016/j.semnephrol.2023.151474

Detection and Scoring of Extracorporeal Circuit Clotting During Hemodialysis

Semin Nephrol. 2024 Jan 23:151474. doi: 10.1016/j.semnephrol.2023.151474. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Floris Vanommeslaeghe¹, Wim Van Biesen², Karlien François³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nephrology, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium. Electronic address: floris.vanommeslaeghe@ugent.be.
² Department of Nephrology, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium.
³ Department of Nephrology and Arterial Hypertension, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.

PMID: 38267348
DOI: 10.1016/j.semnephrol.2023.151474

Abstract

Maintaining patency of the extracorporeal hemodialysis (HD) circuit is a prerequisite to perform HD. Unfractionated heparin and low-molecular-weight heparins are the most used anticoagulants in maintenance HD, but their administration comes with a major trade-off of bleeding complications. This narrative review article discusses technical factors impacting on HD circuit patency, such as tubings, dialyzer membranes, priming practices, and treatment settings. Strategies for monitoring extracorporeal circuit clotting during and after treatment are also reviewed, as these are essential tools for optimizing anticoagulation.

Keywords: Hemodialysis; clotting; micro-CT; thrombin.

Publication types

Review