The Clinical Characteristics of Patients Treated with Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy

Kang, Young Sun; Lee, So Young; Han, Sang Youp; Jo, Sang Kyung; Shin, Jin Ho; Cha, Dae Ryong; Kwon, Young Joo; Cho, Won Yong; Pyo, Hee Jung; Kim, Hyoung Kyu

Abstract

PURPOSE: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has been developed and it has advantages, although the patients receiving CRRT still have a high mortality. This study was designed to compare the clinical characteristics of patients treated with CRRT between survivors and non-survivors.
METHODS
From May 1992 to February 2000, continuous venovenous hemofiltration(CVVH) treatment was applied to 51 patients. Underlying disease, duration of CVVH treatment, blood pressure before and after the treatment were reviewed and APACHE III score, number of organ failures, blood pressure at the begining were compared between two groups.
RESULTS
The average age was 56.3+/-5.6 years and the mortality was 86.3%(44 patients). The comorbid conditions were sepsis(66.7% of total patients), hepatic failure(33.3%), congestive heart failure(17.6%) and adult respiratory distress syndrome(9.8%). Mean arterial pressure(MAP) at the begining was 66.9+/-9.7 mmHg and MAP 2 hours after the treatment was 59.3+/-1.5 mmHg(p=0.076). APACHE III score was 59.5+/-3.5 in non-survivors and 56.0+/-0.9 in survivors and mean number of organ failures was 2.63+/-.98 in non-survivors and 1.68+/-.34 in survivors, but there was no difference between two groups(p=0.072). MAP at begining was significantly higher in survivors than that of non-survivors(87.86+/-3.15 vs. 63.49+/-7.04)(p=0.002).
CONCLUSION
Most of the patients receiving CVVH have more than two organ failures. There were no significant difference in the number of organ failures and APACHE III score between survivor group and non-survivor group. It may be due to underlying disease of patients that MAP at the begining was lower in non-survivors than survivors. APACHE III score would not be a good prognostic predictor.