Dialysis clearance of
thiocyanate was studied using in-vivo and in-vitro systems. The in-vivo studies were performed in a patient with
renal failure receiving
sodium nitroprusside infusion for accelerated
hypertension. In-vitro studies were carried out under experimental conditions similar to those of the in-vivo experiment. Plasma
thiocyanate level consistently fell with single passage through the dialyzer. In-vivo dialysance of
thiocyanate averaged 82.8 ml/min as compared to
urea dialysance of 129.6 ml/min. The in-vitro studies revealed an average
thiocyanate dialysance of 102.3 as compared to a
urea dialysance of 138.6 ml/min. Removal of
thiocyanate by
hemodialysis was further verified by recovery of significant amounts of
thiocyanate in the outgoing
dialysate. The
thiocyanate clearance calculated directly from the amount recovered in the
dialysate and mean plasma concentration was 82.2 ml/min, a value closely approximating that obtained using the transdialyzer concentration gradient. We conclude that
hemodialysis is effective in removing
thiocyanate and can be used as adjunct in the treatment of
thiocyanate toxicity particularly in the presence of
renal failure in which
thiocyanate excretion is impaired.