[Hemofiltration for the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure]

Hemofiltration is usually performed to patients with renal failure but is also an effective method for treating patients with congestive heart failure due to various causes such as hypotension, low cardiac output, oliguria and anasarca. By continuing 24hr a day at low blood flow rate, CAVH (Continuous Arteriovenous Hemofiltration) or CVVH (Continuous Venousvenous Hemofiltration) can remove the body fluid up to 500 ml/hr without much affecting systemic circulation. Successive management of body fluid even results in the recover of renal insufficiency due to decreased renal blood flow or drug overload. To perform hemofiltration safely, it is important to monitor the systemic circulation. Usually we monitor the diameter of IVC (Inferior vena cava) with ultrasonography thought the procedure the to detect changes in blood volume simultaneously.