Journal of nephrology
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Journal of nephrology · Sep 2010
ReviewBack to the future: extended dialysis for treatment of acute kidney injury in the intensive care unit.
On September 11, 1945, Maria Schafstaat was the first patient who successfully underwent a dialysis treatment for acute kidney injury (AKI). The ingenious design of the first dialysis machine, made of cellophane tubing wrapped around a cylinder that rotated in a bath of fluid, together with the brave determination to treat patients with AKI, enabled the Dutch physician W. J. ⋯ Furthermore, we report on logistic and economic advantages of this method. We share our view on how extended dialysis offers ample opportunity for a collaborative interaction between nephrologists and intensivists as the nephrology staff, enabling optimal treatment of complex critically ill patients by using the skill and knowledge of 2 indispensable specialties in the ICU. Lastly, we address the problem of ED intensity, which does not seem to have an impact on survival at higher doses, a finding that might be caused by the fact that we still adhere to dosing guidelines for antibiotics which are at best ineffectual but might also lead to potentially dangerous underdosing of these life-saving drugs.