Which unit is used to express the ultrafiltration rate?

Which unit is used to express the ultrafiltration rate?

• A. L/hr
• B. mL/hr
• C. mL/min
• D. L/min

Answer: (B)

Ultrafiltration rate is the amount of fluid removed from the patient per unit time during a dialysis session. Because treatment time is measured in hours and the fluid volume is typically tracked in milliliters, the most natural and practical way to express this rate is in milliliters per hour. This makes it easy to compute the rate by dividing the UF volume (mL) by the treatment duration (hours). For instance, removing 1000 mL over 4 hours equals 250 mL per hour. Using milliliters per minute would yield rates that are less intuitive for-hour-long treatments, and liters per hour is less convenient for the common, hundred-of-milliliters-per-hour ranges seen in practice. Thus, milliliters per hour is the standard unit for the ultrafiltration rate.

Ultrafiltration rate is the amount of fluid removed from the patient per unit time during a dialysis session. Because treatment time is measured in hours and the fluid volume is typically tracked in milliliters, the most natural and practical way to express this rate is in milliliters per hour. This makes it easy to compute the rate by dividing the UF volume (mL) by the treatment duration (hours). For instance, removing 1000 mL over 4 hours equals 250 mL per hour. Using milliliters per minute would yield rates that are less intuitive for-hour-long treatments, and liters per hour is less convenient for the common, hundred-of-milliliters-per-hour ranges seen in practice. Thus, milliliters per hour is the standard unit for the ultrafiltration rate.