title: Impact of dialysis type on outcome of acute renal failure in children: a single-center experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common complication in critically ill children. It is known as an important predictor of morbidity and mortality in this population. Data on the factors affecting the choice of renal replacement therapy (RRT) modality and its impact on mortality of children with ARF are limited.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We retrospectively studied 115 children with ARF necessitating RRT during the period 1995-2005 to evaluate the effect of several prognostic factors as well as RRT type on their immediate outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data collected from charts included demographics, primary disease, accompanying medical conditions, use of vasopressor support, indications for dialysis, RRT modality, and complications of dialysis. Categorical variables were analyzed using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. Variables associated with mortality (P < 0.1) at the univariable level were studied by a multivariable logistic regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common cause of ARF was congenital heart disease (n=75). RRT modalities included peritoneal dialysis (PD) (n=81), hemodialfiltration (HDF) (n=31) and intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) (n=18). Median RRT duration was 4 days (range 1-63 days). Overall mortality was 52.2%. IHD was associated with the best survival rate (P < 0.01 vs. PD and HDF), while children treated with HDF had the worse outcome. Hemodynamic instability and systemic infections were associated with greater mortality, but the rate of these complications did not differ between the study groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that IHD when applied to the right patient in an appropriate setting may be a safe and efficient RRT modality in children with ARF. Randomized prospective trials are needed to further evaluate the impact of different RRT modalities on outcome in children with ARF.
authors: Institute of Pediatric Nephrology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva, affiliated with Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel. ikrause@post.tau.ac.il
authors: Irit
authors: I
authors: Krause
authors: Naama
authors: N
authors: Herman
authors: Roxana
authors: R
authors: Cleper
authors: Abigail
authors: A
authors: Fraser
authors: Miriam
authors: M
authors: Davidovits