The clinical evaluation of novel polymethyl methacrylate membrane with a modified membrane surface: a multicenter pilot study

Abstract

Background

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) membranes have the unique property of adsorption, which can remove medium- and large-weight molecular substances that cannot be removed by normal hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration. Filtryzer® NF (NF) is a newly developed PMMA membrane that suppresses platelet adhesion on the membrane surface and retains an adsorption property. NF is expected to improve inflammatory conditions and clinical symptoms in hemodialysis patients compared with conventional PMMA membranes.

Methods

Thirty-seven maintenance hemodialysis patients treated with polysulfone (PS) membranes and who had detectable chronic inflammation were enrolled into the study. The patients were randomly allocated into the NF and PS groups and observed for 1 year. C-reactive protein (CRP) values were measured as the primary endpoint. Nutrition, blood cell count, and dialysis itchiness were evaluated as secondary endpoints.

Results

Significant differences in CRP values were not found between the NF and PS groups. In the PS group, the creatinine generation rate (%CGR) and platelet count, which were included in nutrition and blood cell count, respectively, significantly decreased after 6 and 9 months compared with the start of study, but these parameters did not significantly change in the NF group within 1 year. Dialysis itchiness in the NF group was significantly improved compared with the PS group after 9 months.

Conclusions

Our results showed that a new PMMA membrane, NF, has a potential to maintain nutritional conditions and the platelet counts and improve dialysis itchiness.

Trial registration

This study is retrospectively registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of the University Hospital Medical Information Network on February 17, 2015 (registration ID, UMIN000016567).