[Hemodialysis in a newborn infant with acute renal failure]

A 10-day old newborn with post-operative acute renal failure and in whom peritoneal dialysis was impossible was successfully treated by haemodialysis. The technique requires close monitoring and has some particular features, such as difficult vascular approaches, filling of the extracorporeal circuit prior to dialysis, low blood flow rate, sodium bicarbonate in the dialysis bath and high glucose intake. No major complication occurred in the 14 sessions which made it possible to overcome the acute phase of renal failure. Renal function was almost normal at the age of 9 months.