Anticoagulation and Activation - Comparison in Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy

Platelet Function, Whole Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis During Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy - a Comparison of Citrate and Heparin Anticoagulation

Actual clinical practice predominantly makes use of heparin (systemically) or citrate regionally as anticoagulation in the extracorporeal circulation for renal replacement therapy. We aim to find out if different anticoagulation strategies may lead to different levels of platelet activation and whole blood coagulation. Regarding coagulation activation, it remains uncertain if there is an advantage for one of these methods. However, it is of major interest to minimize the risk of any additional clotting activation via extracorporeal circulation in these usually critically ill patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age > 18 years, acute renal failure with need for continuous veno-venous renal replacement therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age < 18 years, pregnancy, contraindications for one of the two anticoagulation methods, missing informed consent or disagreement in the progress of the study