A comparison of prostacyclin and heparin on hemodialyses in dogs

A comparison of the efficacy of prostacyclin and heparin as anticoagulants during hemodialysis in uremic dogs was evaluated. Prostacyclin was infused continuously into the arterial limb of the dialyzer (100 ng/kg/min) while heparin was administered as a 5000 unit bolus at the beginning of dialysis. Prostacyclin and heparin were alternated and a total of 4 dialyses/dog were performed. Parameters followed to assess the efficacy of dialyses included: dialysance (ml/min) of urea, creatinine, ultrafiltration rate (ml/hr), residual volume and platelet count (% of baseline). A lesser degree of hemodialysis associated thrombocytopenia, and a higher ultrafiltration rate were observed with prostacyclin. These studies demonstrate that prostacyclin can be used alone as an anticoagulant in a uremic dog model, and in contrast to heparin it maintains the platelet count and improves the ultrafiltration rate during hemodialysis.