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ICU TopicsRenal and metabolic

ICU · Renal and metabolic

RRT modality selection: IHD vs CRRT vs SLED — when and why

Also known as RRT modality · Intermittent haemodialysis · Continuous renal replacement therapy · SLED · Sustained low-efficiency dialysis · Haemodialysis ICU

Choosing renal replacement therapy in the ICU — IHD versus CRRT versus SLED (Vinsonneau 2006, nine-trial meta-analysis, SLED cohort), the KDIGO dialysis-chapter recommendations (CRRT for instability and brain injury, dose 20-25 mL/kg/h, citrate, access, bicarbonate buffer), dialysis disequilibrium, timing trials (Gaudry 2016, IDEAL-ICU, STARRT-AKI, ELAIN), dose (Bellomo 2009, Palevsky 2008), citrate versus heparin (Zarbock 2020), circuit losses and liberation from RRT.

high37 referencesUpdated 8 Oct 20269 min readSource-verified · Oct 2026

Checked against its sources on 8 Oct 2026

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CICMFFICMEDIC

Red flags

  • KDIGO suggests CRRT rather than standard intermittent RRT for haemodynamic instability and acute brain injury
  • Accelerated RRT start (STARRT-AKI) gave more adverse events and more RRT dependence at 90 days
  • CRRT effluent dose 20-25 mL/kg/h — 40 mL/kg/h was no better
  • Regional citrate: monitor post-filter ionised calcium (0.20-0.35 mmol/L) and watch for accumulation in liver dysfunction
  • The circuit causes hypothermia, hypophosphataemia and amino-acid loss
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Practise this topic8 MCQs with explanations

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CICMFFICMEDIC

Red flags

  • KDIGO suggests CRRT rather than standard intermittent RRT for haemodynamic instability and acute brain injury
  • Accelerated RRT start (STARRT-AKI) gave more adverse events and more RRT dependence at 90 days
  • CRRT effluent dose 20-25 mL/kg/h — 40 mL/kg/h was no better
  • Regional citrate: monitor post-filter ionised calcium (0.20-0.35 mmol/L) and watch for accumulation in liver dysfunction
  • The circuit causes hypothermia, hypophosphataemia and amino-acid loss
The one-line answer

No modality wins on survival — match the machine to the circulation and the brain. a French multicentre trial (360 patients) found 60-day survival of 32 vs 33 per cent with IHD vs CVVHDF, and a meta-analysis of nine randomised trials found no effect of the initial modality on mortality. KDIGO suggests CRRT rather than standard intermittent RRT for haemodynamically unstable patients and for those with acute brain injury or raised intracranial pressure, and treats continuous and intermittent RRT as complementary. Deliver 20-25 mL/kg/h of effluent, prefer regional citrate anticoagulation, and do not start RRT early for a creatinine alone.[1][15][35][6][2][3]

Meet the patient

A 64-year-old man in septic shock on high-dose noradrenaline has oliguric AKI, rising potassium and a large positive fluid balance. The question is not whether to replace kidney function but how — and the answer turns on what his circulation will tolerate.[35]

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References37ShowHide
  1. [1]Vinsonneau C, et al. Continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration versus intermittent haemodialysis for acute renal failure in patients with multiple-organ dysfunction syndrome (Hemodiafe). Lancet, 2006.PMID 16876666
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  25. [25]Brunoni B, Zadek F, Mulazzani F, et al. Calcium-Citrate Anticoagulation during Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in Patients with Metformin Intoxication: A Case Series, Mathematical Estimation of Citrate Accumulation, and Literature Review. Blood purification, 2023.PMID 37673054
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  34. [34]Weidhase L, Wille S, Foede H, et al. Spontaneous diuresis in combination with furosemide stress test (SD-FST) as predictor for successful liberation from kidney replacement therapy: a prospective observational study. Critical care, 2025.PMID 40420285
  35. [35]Section 5: Dialysis Interventions for Treatment of AKI. Kidney international supplements, 2012.PMID 25018921
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  37. [35]Section 5: Dialysis Interventions for Treatment of AKI. Kidney international supplements, 2012.PMID 25018921

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