Intermittent venovenous haemodiafiltration in critically ill patients with acute renal failure.

Various renal replacement therapies have been used for the treatment of acute renal failure in critically ill patients in the last decade. Due to the slower rate of solute and fluid removal, the continuous renal replacement therapies are generally better tolerated than conventional therapy. There is no consensus whether different treatment strategies effect the outcome of critically ill patients and no clear definition of adequacy of renal support in the severely ill patient. Despite their possible benefits, the continuous renal replacement therapies place major demands on the organisation and workload in the dialysis unit. Having taken this into consideration our unit has opted for a ten hours daytime intermittent venovenous haemodiafiltration technique as an alternative for patients in severe conditions of haemodynamic instability, the so-called "go slow" dialysis.