[Current status and future perspectives of extracorporeal blood purification]

After the description of the main indications for an extracorporeal blood purification the authors enter the at present existing and applied detoxication methods on the basis of membranes and absorbents, respectively. A short characterization of the most important membrane separation techniques peritoneal dialysis, haemodialysis, haemofiltration, haemodiafiltration and membrane plasma separation, respectively, is given. Moreover, an estimation of the cascade methods is given, i.e. the application of several separation filters. As adsorptive methods the haemoperfusion and the plasma perfusion, respectively, are assessed with their advantages and disadvantages and the authors enter the possibility of the combination of the procedures mentioned. As problems which are to be solved still in the first place the deficient blood compatibility, selectivity, individualization and continuity are discussed and ways of solution are shown which up to now are entered upon for the improvement and optimization, respectively, of the problems mentioned. In this case particularly the surface modification of materials and the search for new materials, respectively, as well as the use of special models is emphasized as important for future. In the field of selectivity adsorptive methods are to be developed in the first place which without danger of complications remove relevant metabolites from the organism. For the future is above all to be reckoned with the further development of so-called hybrid organs, since such organs may best repeat biological processes.