Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 14, 2025

Direct Drug Delivery to Kidney via the Renal Artery
Published on: April 17, 2021
Anticoagulation strategies in continuous renal replacement therapy
Matthieu Legrand1,2, Ashita Tolwani3
1Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Division of Critical Care Medicine, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA.
The most common anticoagulant options for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) include unfractionated heparin (UFH), regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA), and no anticoagulation. Less common anticoagulation options include UFH with protamine reversal, low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH), thrombin antagonists, and platelet inhibiting agents. The choice of anticoagulant for CRRT should be determined by patient characteristics, local expertise, and ease of monitoring. The Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) acute kidney injury guidelines recommend using RCA rather than UFH in patients who do not have contraindications to citrate and are with or without increased risk of bleeding. Monitoring should include evaluation of the anticoagulant effect, circuit life, filter efficacy, and complications.
The most common anticoagulant options for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) include unfractionated heparin (UFH), regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA), and no anticoagulation. Less common anticoagulation options include UFH with protamine reversal, low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH), thrombin antagonists, and platelet inhibiting agents. The choice of anticoagulant for CRRT should be determined by patient characteristics, local expertise, and ease of monitoring. The Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) acute kidney injury guidelines recommend using RCA rather than UFH in patients who do not have contraindications to citrate and are with or without increased risk of bleeding. Monitoring should include evaluation of the anticoagulant effect, circuit life, filter efficacy, and complications.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy
Extracorporeal Removal of Drugs: Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
Acute Kidney Injury V: Interprofessional Care
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants
Warfarin, a prominent vitamin K antagonist family member, exerts its effect by inhibiting the enzyme VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1). By hindering this enzyme, warfarin...

