Can I use UF profiles with blood volume monitoring

UF profiling is based on the premise that patients refill at different rates throughout the treatment. Profiling then attempts to predict increases or decreases in the patient's refill rate and then mimic these changes with corresponding changes in the UF rate. One popular method is to assume that the patient refills faster at the beginning of the treatment - so the UF profile removes more fluid during the first few hours of the treatment, and reduces the UF rate as the treatment continues. Sodium profiling is sometimes used in conjunction with UF profiling.

It must be clear that these are assumptions only - the dialysis machine does not "know" the patient's refilling rate - it blindly increases and decreases the UF rate based on generic formulas stored by the machine manufacturer. Additionally, it is usually assumed that the patient's refill rate increases with the sodium level. Nothing says that the patient can't slow or even stop refilling at a time when the UF rate is increasing. At the same time, refilling may be continuing at a high rate when the UF profile steps down into a lower rate.

Using the Crit-Line allows you to see the effect of the UF profiling (and sodium modeling) - specifically if it is correctly corresponding to the patient's refilling rate. The UF profile can then be fine-tuned, along with the sodium modeling to best match the patients needs.

Additionally you may discover that it is optimal to use the Crit-Line's information on the patient's refilling to "customize" a UF profile during the treatment. Using this method allows optimal fluid removal relative to the patient's refilling characteristics during the treatment time. There is no guessing and there are no assumptions with this method.