Clinical Surgery-International Sustained low-efficiency dialysis versus continuous veno-venous hemofiltration for postsurgical acute renal failure Vin-Cent Wu, M.D. a , Chih-Hsien Wang, M.D. b , Wei-Jie Wang, M.D. c , Yu-Feng Lin, M.D. a , Fu-Chang Hu, M.S., Sc.D. d , Yung-Wei Chen, M.D. b , Yih-Sharng Chen, M.D., Ph.D. b , Ming-Shiou Wu a , Yen-Hung Lin, M.D. a , Chin-Chi Kuo, M.D. a , Tao-Min Huang, M.D. a , Yung-Ming Chen, M.D. a , Pi-Ru Tsai, B.S. b , Wen-Je Ko, M.D., Ph.D. b, *, Kwan-Dun Wu, M.D., Ph.D. a , and the NSARF Study Group a Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; b Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7 Chung-Shan South Rd., Taipei, 100, Taiwan; c Department of Internal Medicine, Tao-Yuan General Hospital, Tao-Yuan County, Taiwan; d National Center of Excellence for General Clinical Trial and Research, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan Abstract BACKGROUND: In postsurgical acute renal failure patients with moderate unstable hemodynamics or fluid overload, the choice of dialysis modality is difficult. This study was performed to compare the outcomes between the sustained low-efficiency dialysis (SLED) and continuous veno-venous hemo- filtration (CVVH) in these patients. METHODS: Sequential postsurgical acute renal failure patients undergoing acute dialysis with CVVH (2002–2003), or SLED (2004 –2005) as a result of severe fluid overload or moderately unstable hemodynamics were analyzed. Multivariate analyses of comorbidity, disease severity before initiating dialysis, biochemical measurements, and hemodynamic parameters for 3 days after the first dialysis session were performed by fitting multiple logistic regression models to predict patient’s 30-day after hospital discharge (AHD) mortality. RESULTS: Among the 101 recruited patients, 38 received SLED and the rest received CVVH. The 30-day AHD mortality was 62.4%. The independent risk factors of 30-day AHD mortality included older age (P = .008), lower first postdialysis mean arterial pressure (MAP) (P = .021), higher first postdialysis blood urea nitrogen level (P = .009), and absence of a history of hypertension (P = .002). A further linear regression analysis found that dialysis using SLED was associated with higher first postdialysis MAP (P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Among the postsurgical patients requiring acute dialysis with severe fluid overload or moderately unstable hemodynamics, the patients treated with SLED had a higher first postdialysis MAP than those treated with CVVH, which led to lower mortality. Further multicenter randomized clinical trials of larger sample size are needed to compare the effects of SLED and CVVH on the outcomes of postsurgical acute dialysis patients. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. KEYWORDS: Sustained low- efficiency dialysis; Continuous veno- venous hemofiltration; Acute renal failure; Mortality The authors declare no competing interests. The National Taiwan University Hospital Surgical Intensive Care Unit Acute Renal Failure Study Group (NSARF) consists of the following: Vin-Cent Wu, MD, Wen-Je Ko, MD, PhD, Yu-Feng Lin, MD, Yih-Sharng Chen, MD, PhD, Tzong-Shinn Chu, MD, PhD, Yung-Ming Chen, MD, Chih-Chung Shiao, MD, Wei-Jie Wang, MD, Cheng-Yi Wang, MD, Yung-Wei Chen, MD, Pi-Ru Tsai, RN, Chin-Chi Kuo, MD, Chih-Hsien Wang, MD, Ching-Wei Tsai, MD, Wen-Yi Li, MD, Hon-Yen Wu, MD, Tao-Min Huang, MD, Fu-Chang Hu, MS, ScD, and Kwan-Dun Wu, MD, PhD. * Corresponding author: Tel.: +886-2-2356-5350; fax: +886-2-2395-2333. E-mail address: kowj@ntu.edu.tw Manuscript received October 27, 2008; revised manuscript January 4, 2009 0002-9610/$ - see front matter © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2009.01.007 The American Journal of Surgery (2010) 199, 466 – 476