Abstract
The safety and accuracy of an on-line monitoring system, developed for the continuous observation of serum biochemical data during hemodialysis sessions, were clinically verified. This system consists of two parts: The UF cell on the arterial side of the blood circuit where ultrafiltrate is withdrawn and the measuring unit which measures the biochemical data of the ultrafiltrate every minute for electrolytes and every five minutes for ureanitrogen. In seven stable hemodialysis patients, the Na, K, Cl and urea nitrogen concentrations in the ultrafiltrate withdrawn from the UF cell were continuously measured during a dialysis session using this system and were compared to the serum concentrations obtained from the arterial side of the circuit both pre- and postdialysis. In 72 sessions, enough filtrate was drawn during the entire session and no adverse reactions, such as blood coagulation, hemolysis and hypotension just after initiation, were observed. Significant positive linear correlations were observed between filtrate concentrations measured by this system and serum concentrations measured by antomatic analyzer for Na, K, Cl and urea nitrogen (p<0.001). However, differences in Na and Cl concentrations between the filtrate and serum were rather large and further evaluation is therefore necessary. In conclusion, this system, with which blood sampling is not necessary and continuous monitoring of serum biochemistry is possible, was demonstrated to be safe for use during a hemodialysis session and to provide data which reflect the serum data. This device is thus expected to be clinically useful for the observation of patient condition during hemodialysis.
