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Reuse and Biocompatibility of Hemodialysis Membranes: Clinically Relevant?
Author(s) -
Upadhyay Ashish,
Jaber Bertrand L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
seminars in dialysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1525-139X
pISSN - 0894-0959
DOI - 10.1111/sdi.12574
Subject(s) - reuse , medicine , biocompatible material , single use , biocompatibility , safer , risk analysis (engineering) , intensive care medicine , waste management , biomedical engineering , process engineering , engineering , computer science , computer security , chemical engineering
The practice of reprocessing dialyzers for reuse, once predominant in the United States, has been steadily declining over the last 20 years. The professed roles of reuse in improving dialyzer membrane biocompatibility and lowering the risk of first‐use syndrome have lost relevance with the advent of biocompatible dialyzer membranes and favorable sterilization techniques. The potential for cost‐savings from reuse is also called into question by the easy availability of comparatively cheaper dialyzers and rising regulatory demands and operational cost of reprocessing systems. While the environmental concerns from additional dialyzer‐related solid waste from rising single‐use practice remains pertinent and requires development of safer dialyzer disposable system technologies, there is no meaningful medical rationale for the continued practice of dialyzer reuse in the twenty‐first century.