Our medical center offers charcoal hemoperfusion for poisoning cases, yet we done only one of these treatments in 17 years! We are debating weather to continue to offer this service or not. Is anyone out there still using these columns? If so, then for what indications and how often?

ApheresisGuy,

We too still offer it as a service at our largest acute facility but just like you, it has been MANY years since we have actually done one. I'm guessing that it has become less neccessary because of the larger better clearing membranes.

Chuck

I was told by our Nephrologist that It was used primarily for Theophilline posioning. Now since that medication has fallen out of vogue, the usefulness of this column seems questionable at best.

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck W:
ApheresisGuy,

We too still offer it as a service at our largest acute facility but just like you, it has been MANY years since we have actually done one. I'm guessing that it has become less neccessary because of the larger better clearing membranes.

Chuck

I used it several years ago at one hospital. I used it about 10 times with some amazing results on overdose patients. We used it on drugs that are listed in the PDR as "not removed with dialysis". Not sure why I haven't seem it lately. Ask the clinical pharmacist to do some research for you related to indications and which drugs.

We perform on average 2 of these procedures per year with excellent results. In the last few years we've treated theophyllin, phenobarb, diquat, paraquat and aminophyllin. We've also treated methylbromide as well as methanol and ethanol successfully using conventional high-flux hemodialysis.

Jonathan
Cape Town
South Africa