COMPARISON OF 2 HEMODIALYSIS MEMBRANES, POLYACRILONITRILE AND CELLULOSE-ACETATE, ON COMPLEMENT AND COAGULATION SYSTEMS

Two hemodialysis membranes, polyacrilonitrile (AN 69) and cellulose acetate (CA), were compared for their effects on complement and hemostasis. Two groups of 5 patients, in dialysis for more than 5 years, were successively dialysed for 4 weeks periods with each type of membrane. We measured C3a (complement activation), platelets and beta-thromboglobulin (platelet activation), thrombin-antithrombin III complexes and fibrino-peptide A (coagulation activation), using C-Reactive Protein as a control for dilution effects. As previously shown, activation of complement was more important with CA than with AN 69 (p < 0.01). In contrast, activation of coagulation (increase in fibrinopeptide A and thrombin-antithrombin III complexes) was more pronounced with AN 69 than with CA. This study emphasizes the need to consider different biological systems when the bioincompatibility of hemodialysis membrane is evaluated