Continuous haemofiltration (CHF) is now a widely accepted technique for the treatment of acute renal failure (ARF) which is well tolerated by critically ill and haemodynamically unstable patients. Because improvements in intensive care medicine have prolonged the lives of many critically ill patients, ARF today is in most cases no longer an isolated organ function disturbance, but part of a multiple organ failure (MOF) which carries with it a grim prognosis. This volume focuses primarily on MOF and evaluates the efficacy of CHF in the therapy of acute renal and multiple organ failure. The 60 papers provide a comprehensive update on all aspects of CHF from its role in the treatment of various cardiac and pulmonary diseases to pharmacokinetic, technical and anticoagulation considerations. Arguing that continuous treatment is superior to intermittent dialysis or haemofiltration in ARF patients, this publication aims to provide nephrologists, intensive care physicians and anaesthetists with recent information on the subject.
