Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is

therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many differe ...

that replaces the normal

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in th ...

-filtering function of the

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

s. It is used when the kidneys are not working well, which is called

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

and includes acute kidney injury and

chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of kidney disease in which a gradual loss of kidney function occurs over a period of months to years. Initially generally no symptoms are seen, but later symptoms may include leg swelling, feeling tired, ...

. Renal replacement therapy includes

dialysis Dialysis may refer to: *Dialysis (chemistry), a process of separating molecules in solution **Electrodialysis, used to transport salt ions from one solution to another through an ion-exchange membrane under the influence of an applied electric pote ...

(

hemodialysis Hemodialysis, also spelled haemodialysis, or simply dialysis, is a process of purifying the blood of a person whose kidneys are not working normally. This type of dialysis achieves the extracorporeal removal of waste products such as creatinin ...

peritoneal dialysis Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a type of dialysis which uses the peritoneum in a person's abdomen as the membrane through which fluid and dissolved substances are exchanged with the blood. It is used to remove excess fluid, correct electrolyte prob ...

), hemofiltration, and

hemodiafiltration Hemofiltration, also haemofiltration, is a renal replacement therapy which is used in the intensive care setting. It is usually used to treat acute kidney injury (AKI), but may be of benefit in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome or sepsis. During ...

, which are various ways of filtration of blood with or without machines. Renal replacement therapy also includes

kidney transplantation Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with chronic kidney disease, end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or li ...

, which is the ultimate form of replacement in that the old kidney is replaced by a

donor A donor in general is a person, organization or government which donates something voluntarily. The term is usually used to represent a form of pure altruism, but is sometimes used when the payment for a service is recognized by all parties as rep ...

kidney. These treatments are not truly cures for kidney disease. In the context of chronic kidney disease, they are more accurately viewed as life-extending treatments, although if chronic kidney disease is managed well with dialysis and a compatible graft is found early and is successfully transplanted, the clinical course can be quite favorable, with

life expectancy Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...

of many years. Likewise, in certain acute illnesses or trauma resulting in acute kidney injury, a person could very well survive for many years, with relatively good kidney function, before needing intervention again, as long as they had good response to dialysis, they got a kidney transplant fairly quickly if needed, their body did not reject the transplanted kidney, and they had no other significant health problems. Early

(and, if indicated, early renal transplant) in acute kidney failure usually brings more favorable outcomes.

Types

Hemodialysis, hemofiltration, and hemodiafiltration can be continuous or intermittent and can use an arteriovenous route (in which blood leaves from an artery and returns via a vein) or a venovenous route (in which blood leaves from a vein and returns via a vein). This results in various types of RRT, as follows: * continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) — continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a form of dialysis therapy used in critical care settings. The benefit of CRRT for critically ill patients is that it runs slowly (generally over 24 hours to several days) allowing for removal of excess fluid and uremic toxins with less risk of hypotensive complications. ** continuous hemodialysis (CHD) *** continuous arteriovenous hemodialysis (CAVHD) *** continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD) ** continuous hemofiltration (CHF) *** continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration (CAVH or CAVHF) *** continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH or CVVHF) ** continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) *** continuous arteriovenous hemodiafiltration (CAVHDF) *** continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) * intermittent renal replacement therapy (IRRT) ** intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) *** intermittent venovenous hemodialysis (IVVHD) ** intermittent hemofiltration (IHF) *** intermittent venovenous hemofiltration (IVVH or IVVHF) ** intermittent hemodiafiltration (IHDF) *** intermittent venovenous hemodiafiltration (IVVHDF)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Renal replacement therapy Nephrology procedures

Types

See also

References

External links