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This paper reports on the continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) technology group recommendations and research proposals developed during the 17th Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative Meeting in Asiago, Italy. The group was tasked to address questions related to the impact of technology on acute kidney injury management. We discuss technological aspects of the decision to initiate CRRT and the components of the treatment prescription and delivery, the integration of information technology (IT) on overall patient management, the incorporation of CRRT into other 'non-renal' extracorporeal technologies such as ECMO and ECCO2R and the use of sorbents in sepsis and propose new areas for future research. Instead of reviewing current knowledge, the group focused on developing a renovated research agenda that reflects current and future technological advances, centered on innovations in new equipment, membranes and IT that will permit the integration of patient care and decision-making processes for years to come., (© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is increasingly used for the management of critically ill patients. As a consequence, the incidence of complications that accompany CRRT is also rising. However, a standardized approach for preventing or minimizing these adverse events is lacking. Dialytrauma is a newly proposed concept that encompasses all harmful adverse events related to CRRT while providing a framework for prevention or, at the least, early recognition of these events in order to attenuate the consequences. A mainstay of this approach is the utilization of a dedicated checklist for improving CRRT quality and patient safety. In this context, we discuss the most important adverse effects of CRRT and review current strategies to minimize them., (Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Acute renal failure (ARF) in critically ill patients is currently very frequent and requires renal replacement therapy (RRT) in many patients. During the last 15 years, several studies have considered important issues regarding the use of RRT in ARF, like the time to initiate the therapy, the dialysis dose, the types of catheter, the choice of technique, and anticoagulation. However, despite an abundant literature, conflicting results do not provide evidence on RRT implementation. We present herein recommendations for the use of RRT in adult and pediatric intensive care developed with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system by an expert group of French Intensive Care Society (SRLF), with the participation of the French Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care (SFAR), the French Group for Pediatric Intensive Care and Emergencies (GFRUP), and the French Dialysis Society (SFD). The recommendations cover 4 fields: criteria for RRT initiation, technical aspects (access routes, membranes, anticoagulation, reverse osmosis water), practical aspects (choice of the method, peritoneal dialysis, dialysis dose, adjustments), and safety (procedures and training, dialysis catheter management, extracorporeal circuit set-up). These recommendations have been designed on a practical point of view to provide guidance for intensivists in their daily practice.

Abstract Rationale/methods The primary aim of the present contribution is to find a literature-based agreement on dose adjustments of vitamin C in critically ill patients undergoing renal replacement therapy (RRT). Available data/study results Critical illness is frequently accompanied by severe vitamin C deficiency. High-dose supplementation beneficially affects clinical outcome in small cohorts of patients with sepsis, burn injury, and trauma. There are no specific data on clinical outcomes in patients receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT). Vitamin C plasma concentrations in patients on RRT are comparable to critically ill patients not receiving RRT. Vitamin C is cleared from the circulation during RRT at a rate dependent on the plasma concentration, dose and duration of RRT. Sieving coefficient is about 1. While the dose of RRT is lower than normal renal function, tubular reabsorption is absent. Sparse evidence suggests that vitamin C dosing during continuous RRT should not exceed the dose administered to critically ill patients not receiving continuous RRT. Low plasma concentrations are expected during prolonged RRT because of persistent extracorporeal removal, absent renal reabsorption and enhanced metabolic loss due to circuit-induced oxidative stress. A dosage of twice 1 g vitamin C daily may be necessary to achieve normal plasma concentrations during RRT, but more studies are needed. There is no available evidence that high doses of vitamin C administered over a short period can induce oxalate stones or has pro-oxidant effects. Conclusions Supplementing vitamin C 1 g twice daily to critically ill patients has a solid pathophysiological rationale and a good safety profile. Patients on RRT probably need similar doses as critically ill patients not receiving RRT. Intravenous vitamin C in a dose of 2 g/day may be necessary to achieve normal plasma concentrations during RRT. However, data on dose adjustment of vitamin C during intermittent or chronic RRT are sparse and require more thorough pharmacokinetic and dose–response studies.

Abstract Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is a key component in the management of severe acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients. Many cohort studies, meta-analyses, and two recent large randomized prospective trials which evaluated the relationship between the timing of RRT initiation and patient outcome remain inconclusive due to substantial differences in study design, patient population, AKI definition, and RRT indication. A cause-specific diagnosis of AKI based on current staging criteria plus a sensitive biomarker (panel) that allows creating a homogeneous study population is definitely needed to assess the impact of early versus late initiation of RRT on patient outcome.