HEMODIALYSIS ALTERNATIVE WITH ASCITES ULTRAFILTRATION FOR AN END-STAGE RENAL-FAILURE PATIENT ASSOCIATED WITH TENSE ASCITES SECONDARY TO DECOMPENSATED LIVER-CIRRHOSIS

Patients with end-stage renal disease combined with tense ascites caus ed by decompensated liver cirrhosis are sometimes encountered in a hem odialysis center, A big problem for the management of these patients i s the tendency of hypotension during ultrafiltration, Subsequent fluid accumulation, especially in the abdominal cavity, causes breathing di fficulty and abdominal discomfort, We present a new technique, ascites ultrafiltration, to solve this problem, Using the same equipment as f or ordinary hemodialysis, and incurring the same cost, we removed dire ctly approximately 8 L of ascites fluid during each nearly 4-hour sess ion, No hemodynamic instability was noted, We proved this technique to be an effective and safe alternative method for this group of patient s. (C) 1996 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.