Enhancing Hemodialysis Through Advanced Polymeric Membranes and Improved Material Additives

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) impacts around 10% of the global population and is expected to be one of the leading causes of death by 2040. Around 70% of patients with renal diseases need long-term hemodialysis (HD), while 30% require transplantation. The prolonged HD therapy can lead to severe side effects related to the membrane’s biocompatibility and the interactions of blood components with the membrane material. Recent advancements in material science and chemical engineering have led to the development of hemodialysis polymeric membranes with improved surface characteristics and hemocompatibility. These innovations also involve selectivity, durability and new production technologies. This review discusses the main challenges in membrane fabrication and explores strategies for enhancing membrane performance. It examines the improvement of hemodialysis efficiency while minimizing the possible side effects through the surface modification of membranes and introducing additives (blending methods). Both surface-modified membranes and blended ones efficiently remove toxins and reject proteins. However, surface-modified membranes exhibit lower values of pure water flux (50-300 L/m²/h) than those modified by introducing additives (145-500 L/m²/h). It indicates that polymers modified by blending are less prone to the proteins’ adhesion on the membrane surface. These advancements have the potential to enhance patient outcomes in hemodialysis therapy.