Slow Continuous Ultrafiltration with Bound Solute Dialysis

Bound solute dialysis (BSD), often referred to as “albumin dialysis” (practiced clinically as the molecular adsorbents recirculating system, MARS, or single-pass albumin dialysis, SPAD) or “sorbent dialysis” (practiced clinically as the charcoal-based Biologic-DT), is based upon the thermodynamic principle that the driving force for solute mass transfer across a dialysis membrane is the difference in free solute concentration across the membrane. The clinically relevant practice of slow continuous ultrafiltration (SCUF) for maintenance of patients with liver failure is analyzed in conjunction with BSD. The primary dimensionless operating parameters that describe SCUF-BSD include (1) β, the dialysate/blood binder concentration ratio; (2) κ, the dialyzer mass transfer/blood flow rate ratio; (3) α, the dialysate/blood flow rate ratio; and, (4) γ, the ultrafiltration/blood flow rate ratio. Results from mathematical modeling of solute removal during a single pass through a dialyzer and solute removal from a one-compartment model indicate that solute removal is remarkably insensitive to γ. Solute removal approaches an asymptote (improvement in theoretical clearance over that obtainable with no binder in the dialysate) with increasing β that is dependent on κ and independent of α. The amount of binder required to approach the asymptote decreases with increasing solute-binder equilibrium constant, i.e., more strongly bound solutes require less binder in the dialysate. The results of experimental observations over a range of blood flow rates, 100 to 180 mL/min, dialysate flow rates, 600 to 2150 mL/h, ultrafiltration rates, 0 to 220 mL/h, and dialysate/blood albumin concentration ratios, β = 0.01 to 0.04, were independently predicted remarkably well by the one-compartment model (with no adjustable parameters) based on BSD principles.