Abstract
A vast quantity of tubular dialysis membranes is presently used in hemodialysis treatment, yearly amounting approximately 30 million m2 of membrane area. Approximately two billion liters of blood are then purified for patients with chronic renal failure. The membranes have been prepared through trial and error since the relationship between structure and permeability is almost unknown. The permeability of membranes is affected by their structure depending on preparing conditions. Determination of membrane structure facilitates preparing membranes. Some models are essential for determining the structure of dialysis and ultrafiltrati on membranes. Based on the tortuous pore model improved from the simplified pore model, the structure of commercially available tubular dialysis membranes is clarified.
