Putting the 'C' back into continuous renal replacement therapy

It may seem obvious that continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) means that the treatment is truly continuous--administered without interruption on a 24/7 basis. In reality, a number of barriers limit the continuous aspect of CRRT. This article describes how nursing staff of an inpatient dialysis unit in a large Midwestern academic institution identified these barriers and developed and implemented a multifaceted plan to optimize CRRT. Key Words: Continuous renal replacement therapy, CRRT, downtime, interruption, kidney dialysis.
Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a standard mode of therapy for critically ill patients with acute renal insufficiency (ARI) (Heise, Cries, Moerer, Bleekmann, & Quintel, 2012; Kleger & Fassler, [...]