Development of a new cellulose triacetate membrane with a microgradient porous structure for hemodialysis.

Dialytic performance and biocompatibility of a newly developed cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane with a microgradient porous structure, produced without using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and liquid paraffin, were compared with those of a conventional polysulfone (PS) membrane dialyzer. In vitro and clinical results demonstrated no significant difference in the dialytic performance and biocompatibility of the two dialyzers, but the CTA dialyzer lost less albumin during dialysis than the PS. These results suggest that a CTA membrane dialyzer with a porous microgradient structure attained comparable performance and biocompatibility to PS, and the risk of albumin loss was suppressed by the new CTA membrane.