Hemodialysis, Principles and Practice

This text is comprised of papers presented at a tutorial session on hemodialysis, held in Boston in 1970, and is presented as a practical guide on the use of hemodialysis. Although of somewhat uneven quality, the large range of topics covered include the clinical manifestations of uremia, characteristics of several of the more commonly used dialysis systems, an analysis of the physical principles governing dialysis and methods of funding. Chapters related to the problem of hepatitis in dialysis units, the capillary artificial kidney, parallel flow systems and physical principles in hemodialysis are of special merit and provide a comprehensive and authoritative review of these areas. The section devoted to pharmacodynamics in renal failure represents the most important section of this text since it represents the first useful attempt to catalogue the pharmacological agents which can be successfully eliminated by dialysis, as well as therapeutic drugs which are influenced by the dialysis procedure. Several areas of importance could have profitably received more attention, such as trace metal intoxication, desequilibrium syndrome and nutritional problems, to cite but a few. Failure to discuss growth and psychological problems encountered in children on hemodialysis is an important omission. As one of the first attempts to provide an overview of hemodialysis, this text will be useful as a reference in hemodialysis units and as an introduction for physicians to this mode of therapy.