| [ Summary ] |
Biocompatibility not only determines the prognosis of hemodialysis (HD) patients but also contributes to the pathogenesis of serious complications experienced by long term HD patients. Great amounts of evidence have been reported on biocompatibility, including sterilization methods for the dialyzer, effluent from the dialyzer and many blood-surface interactions, such as complement activation, reactive oxygen species production from the activated neutrophil, activation of the coagulation cascade and the kinin-kallikrein system, promotion of monocyte apoptosis, etc. These participate in the onset of various complications, such as immune disturbances, cardiovascular diseases, uremic amyloidosis, and others. The ultimate biocompatible membrane should have biocompatibility similar to the vascular endothelial cells. Surface modified membranes, such as vitamine E coating membranes or phospholipid coated, membranes may be processes from which we may develop those ideal membranes. |