Examination of anticoagulant performance of airless hemodialysis circuit Arch Loop

Abstract

[Background and Aims] Blood coagulation in the dialysis circuit is one of the major problems in hemodialysis. Contact between air and blood is considered to contribute to activation of the coagulation system. Nikkisoʼs new dialysis circuit Arch Loop is expected to exhibit anticoagulant performance by reducing contact with air through an air-free chamber and a diaphragm pressure-monitoring system. We examined the effectiveness of Arch Loop in terms of anticoagulant performance compared with conventional dialysis circuits. [Method] Twelve outpatients on maintenance hemodialysis were enrolled in the study to investigate anticoagulant performance, measuring the activated clotting time (ACT) at 3 hours after the start of dialysis using Arch Loop or a conventional dialysis circuit, with a crossover design. [Results] ACT was significantly extended with Arch Loop compared with conventional circuits. (165.1±19.0 and 153.2±15.2 seconds, respectively, p＜0.002). [Conclusion] Arch Loop shows significant anticoagulant performance by reducing contact with air in the circuit. This performance of Arch Loop is still limited, and so further improvement is required prior to general use.