ABSTRACT
Renal replacement therapy is used for up to one-third of ICU patients (Rahman & Treacher, 2002). Haemofiltration is the main renal replacement therapy used in ICU (Wright et al., 2003), so nurses should understand principles of haemofiltration, and have a working knowledge of whichever system their section uses. Manufacturers’ recommendations differ between systems, so readers should adapt material in this chapter to systems used. Peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis are rarely used on ICUs, so are not described here. Nurses encountering either therapy should resource specific texts on them. Principles of haemofiltration largely apply to plasmapheresis, sometimes used (usually intermittently rather than continuously) to remove mediators of disease.
