A new method of urea removal using urease and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane.

A new method for urea removal using a gas membrane is introduced along with some preliminary results. The membrane used was expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (E-PTFE) which is highly permeable to gaseous substances, while at the same time it is highly resistant to water permeation. In in vitro experiments using 10 mmol/L ammonia solution it was revealed that the single-pass reduction rate was approximately 95% at 30 degrees C at a flow rate of 200 ml/min. In animal experiments using four dogs, the extraction rate of urea was 40.4 +/- 4.4% after four hours of dialysis using 5 L dialysate. However, elevation of blood ammonia was observed in all dogs tested. Removal of ammonia by means of a gas membrane is considered to be feasible and has the possibility of being used for maintenance hemodialysis in combination with urease and charcoal.