Acute Dialysis and Ultrafiltration in the Newborn

Dialytic treatment of the newborn infant is a complex issue. Many neonatologists are reticent to institute this type of therapy with the many technical complications and risks inherent in the procedure. Those infants who might be considered in need of dialytic treatment are usually so profoundly ill as to increase the relative risk of the procedure. In fact, from a second vantage, one might suppose that the high mortality of neonates treated with dialysis comes from the delay incurred while contemplating the risk.