ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the hemodialysis and the current scenario in developing countries such as India. Future trends in dialysis research are not likely to be bound within the realms of classical membranes. Water plays an important role in dialysis simply due to the sheer volume of its use. The dialysis treatment for a single patient requires about 18,000 L/week. The Association for the Advancement for Instrumentation (AAMI) and European Pharmacopeia (EP) are the two most general standards that are followed worldwide. The basic difference between these two standards is that although both have similar stringent limits for chemical contamination, the level of stringency differs when it comes to microbial contamination. Other than the standards discussed, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has its own water-quality standards for dialysis. It is pretty much evident that water quality as well as quantity plays a vital role in dialysis and thorough knowledge about reverse osmosis operation.