Treatment of severe dialysis reactions with the AN69-ST membrane: biocompatibility does matter.

Dialysis reactions with biocompatible membranes are rare, and complement activation has been suggested to be a culprit. We report here a case of an incident haemodialysis patient with asthma disease who experienced severe adverse reactions late into dialysis session, with different synthetic membranes (FX 80, Fresenius; Polyflux 17L, Gambro; FX 10, Fresenius; BLS 512, Bellco-Sorin). After replacing the dialyser by the surface-treated AN69 membrane (Nephral ST 500, Hospal), the dialysis sessions became uneventful. The case reinforces the need for biocompatible dialysers with high permeability and adsorptive capacity in susceptible patients experiencing severe dialysis reactions with synthetic membranes.