ARTERIAL HYPOXEMIA DURING HEMODIALYSIS FOR ACUTE-RENAL-FAILURE IN MECHANICALLY VENTILATED PATIENTS - OBSERVATIONS AND MECHANISMS

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 14  (1) , 18-22
Abstract
Changes in arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) during hemodialysis were measured in 8 patients with acute renal failure who were being mechanically ventilated. Falls in PaO2 under these circumstances (mean = 22.44%, p < 0.05) suggest that loss of CO2 into the dialyzate is not an important cause of arterial hypoxemia during dialysis. White blood cell count, platelet count and complement levels were also measured; there is a dissociation between these parameters and falls in PaO2, suggesting that other, unidentified factors are involved in hemodialysis hypoxemia.