The effect of reuse solution on the high flux polyamide hollow fiber membranes in hemodialysis

Abstract

In order to question the safety of reuse of high flux polyamide hollow membranes used for hemodialysis, it is imperative to perform several experiments on both virgin high flux polyamide membranes and used fibers left in re-use solutions. SEM and AFM studies performed on virgin and used-processed fiber visualized the morphological changes. Rough wavy structure with defects was seen in used-processed fiber, whereas a smoother surface morphology was seen in virgin fibers. Big deep holes due to pore merging, more elliptical pores and defects were visualized in used-processed fibers. Thus, easy crack initiation and propagation is expected in used-processed fibers. Tensile tests also revealed the difference in mechanical properties of virgin and used-processed fibers and confirmed what was obtained from the SEM and AFM studies. Drop in ductility and toughness was observed in usedprocessed fibers. This study showed that dialysis environment caused structural changes on membranes which may cause clinical complications.|Keywords: Hemodialysis, high flux, polyamide, SEM, AFM, tensile test, XRD.