For more than a generation haemodialysis has been the principal method
of treating patients with both acute and chronic renal failure.
Initially, developments and improvements in the system were highly
technical and relevant to only a relatively small number of specialists
in nephrology. More recently, as advances in therapy have dem- onstrated
the value of haemoperfusion for certain types of poisoning, the basic
principles ofhaemodialysis have been perceived as important in many
areas of clinical practice. In this volume, the potential advantages of
bicarbonate haemo- dialysis are objectively assessed, the technical and
clinical aspects of both haemofiltration and haemoperfusion discussed
and the con- tinuing problems associated with such extracorporeal
circuits analysed. All the chapters have been written by recognized
experts in their field. The increasing availability of highly technical
facilities for appropriately selected patients should ensure that the
information contained in the book is relevant not only to nephrologists
but to all practising clinicians.