Practical guidance for dialyzing a hemodialysis patient following acute brain injury

The incidence of acute brain injury in chronic hemodialysis patients is increasing, as the dialysis population is becoming increasingly older, often hypertensive, at risk of ischemic and/or hemorrhagic stroke, and subdural hemorrhage. Standard intermittent hemodialysis treatments typically lead to an increase in cerebral swelling, which can exacerbate underlying cerebral damage. In critically ill patients, continuous modes of renal replacement therapy may be required, but depending upon the clinical condition, simple modifications to standard intermittent therapies may suffice, and allow effective delivery of renal replacement therapy, but ensure that patient outcomes both in terms of mortality and residual functional brain damage is no different between those with normal renal function and those on the chronic dialysis program.