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Despite the progress that has been made in intensive care medicine, multiple organ failure is still associated with high mortality. Apart from the prevention of infectious complications, numerous efforts are being made to improve the treatment of sepsis through adequate antibiotic therapy, the development of new respirator therapies, better control of the hemodynamic situation, and adequate renal replacement therapy. Some authors advocate continuous renal replacement therapy not only for acute renal failure but also for the elimination of inflammatory molecules such as cytokines. Continuous renal replacement therapy improves the cardiovascular hemodynamics in patients with multiple organ failure. Therapeutic options such as volume control, clearance of uremic toxins, correction of acid base disturbances and temperature control are improved. Suitable renal replacement therapy improves not only cardiovascular hemodynamics but also patient survival. In current practice, continuous renal replacement therapy is not used to eliminate mediators such as cytokines. In patients with multiple organ failure and compromised cardiovascular hemodynamics, renal replacement therapy should be carried out as early as possible. In the following review, experimental and clinical findings concerning mediator elimination by continuous and intermittent renal replacement therapy are summarized.Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of the integrity of the peritoneal membrane in peritoneal dialysis (PD), the peritoneal mesothelial cells play a pivotal role since its monolayer constitutes the first line of the peritoneal membrane. Cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) is released by peritoneal mesothelial cells and correlates with the mesothelial cell mass in PD. Since its effluent concentration is easy to determine in chronic PD patients, CA 125 serves as an in vivo marker of biocompatibility. We performed a cross-sectional study to investigate the relation between PD duration, peritoneal transport and the PD regimen (CAPD/CCPD) on effluent CA 125 concentration in 22 chronic PD patients. We compared long-term (>6 months) with short-term PD treatment, patients with high small solute transport properties (MTAC >11 ml/min, d/p ratio of creatinine >0.72) to patients with low small solute transport and CAPD with APD patients. A peritoneal equilibration test was performed with 1.36% glucose. Dialysate/plasma (D/P) ratio and mass transfer area coefficient (MTAC) of creatinine were calculated and the 4-hour effluent concentration of CA 125 was determined. CA 125 tended to be lower in the long-term PD patients and also in APD patients, but statistical significance was missing. Effluent CA 125 was significantly increased in patients with an MTAC of creatinine >11 ml/min (40.2 ± 11.2 vs. 20.7 ± 1.2 U/ml) and in patients with a d/p ratio of creatinine >0.72 (48.2 ± 11.0 vs. 21.6 ± 1.6 U/ml). CA 125 and the d/p ratio of creatinine were positively correlated (r = 0.68). The positive correlation of CA 125 with peritoneal small solute transport especially in the early phase of PD treatment indicates an initial correlation of the mesothelial cell mass with the peritoneal surface area. A direct relation between the CA 125 concentration and peritoneal transport is unlikely. In our study the CA 125 effluent concentration tended to be lower in long-term PD patients and also in APD patients, possibly indicating a cell depletory influence of the conventional PD fluid.Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]