Observational Study of Citrate Based Dialysis in Pediatric Patients Receiving Hemodialysis

Providing hemodialysis requires the use of an extracorporeal circuit which must be anticoagulated. Inadequate anticoagulation can result in the dialyzer clotting with decreased circuit blood flows, inefficient dialysis and even significant blood loss secondary to circuit clotting.Heparin has been traditional agent used to provide anticoagulation. Heparin has multiple adverse side effects that would be best avoided in acutely ill patients who are at risk for bleeding. Alternative means of providing anticoagulation include citrate based anticoagulation. Citrasate® is a heparin free anticoagulant alternative that has been FDA approved since 1999 and readily available for commercial use since 2001. Citrasate® utilizes citric acid instead of acetic acid for acidification; the presence of small amounts of citrate in the dialysate also provides the means for anticoagulation. The concentration of citrate is low (2.4meq/L) and thus has a minimal effect on serum calcium values. No calcium monitoring or infusion is indicated. The purpose of this study is to obtain further data on the use of Citrasate® in admitted pediatric patients who receive hemodialysis as part of their therapy for acute kidney injury.