Continuous arteriovenous renal replacement systems for critically ill children.

Five different arteriovenous renal replacement systems were used to treat 23 critically ill oliguric or anuric children. Slow continuous ultrafiltration (SCU) was carried out for 8 patient days, continuous arteriovenous haemofiltration (CAVH) for 40, suction-supported CAVH for 56, continuous or intermittent arteriovenous haemodiafiltration (AVHDF) for 3, and continuous arteriovenous haemodialysis (CAVHD) for 24 days. SCU allowed excellent control of fluid overload in 4 patients within 47 +/- 17 h. Urea clearances ranged from 5.6 +/- 2.1 ml/min per m2 (spontaneous CAVH) to 15.3 +/- 3.7 ml/min per m2 (CAVHD) and enabled good control of azotaemia. Ultrafiltration rates of the different filters ranged from 1.6 +/- 0.3 to 11.5 +/- 2.4 ml/min per m2. The only serious complication was a femoral artery thrombosis in a 1.5-year-old boy. Minor side-effects were local bleeding at the entrance site of the arterial catheter and transient hypotension during suction-supported CAVH. Of 23 patients, 8 died because of progressive multiple organ system failure, a mortality of 35%.