During emergency treatment in an in-center setting, what should be done with UF?

• A. Ultrafiltration (UF) should be stopped if the patient is in-center
• B. Increase UF to compensate
• C. UF should be continued unchanged
• D. UF should be stopped only if scheduled by clinician

Answer: (A)

During an emergency in an in-center PD setting, the first priority is the patient’s stability. Ultrafiltration removes fluid from the body, which lowers intravascular volume and can drop blood pressure. If a patient is acutely unstable—low blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness, or signs of poor perfusion—continuing to ultrafilter can worsen these conditions. Pausing ultrafiltration stops further fluid removal, giving the team a chance to reassess, treat the underlying issue, and support hemodynamics. Once the patient is stabilized, the dialysis prescription can be adjusted or UF resumed as appropriate. Increasing UF or leaving it unchanged during instability does not support safety, and waiting for a clinician’s scheduled plan in an emergency could delay critical intervention.