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Determinants of Ammonia Clearance by Hemodialysis
Author(s) -
Cordoba Juan,
Blei Andres T.,
Mujais Salim
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
artificial organs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.684
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1525-1594
pISSN - 0160-564X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1525-1594.1996.tb04544.x
Subject(s) - hemodialysis , ammonia , metabolic clearance rate , chemistry , intensive care medicine , medicine , biochemistry , pharmacokinetics
Ammonia toxicity appears to contribute to the genesis of brain edema, a leading cause of death in fulminant hepatic failure. Because dialysis has been recommended for acute hyperammonemia in other conditions, we have conducted a study to analyze the determinants of ammonia clearance with the use of a single‐pass dialyzer. We have used an ionic solution with a constant concentration of ammonia to estimate clearance at different blood flow rates, at dialysate flow rates, and with different dialyzer surfaces. Once hemodialysis had been optimized, we estimated ammonia, glutamine, and urea removal by using a single‐compartment model. Our results show that the clearance of ammonia is blood flow dependent and is also influenced by dialysate flow rate and dialyzer surface. At clinically feasible conditions, ammonia can be extracted by more than 80% by setting the dialysate flow at a high rate. In addition to ammonia removal, hemodialysis allows the clearance of urea and glutamine, molecules that can be regarded as ammonia equivalents and that also undergo flow‐dependent elimination.