Abstract
A two-needle method for calculating recirculation was compared with the standard three-needle method, substituting the standard phlebotomy of a remote vessel during dialysis with blood obtained from the dialyzer inlet needle 15 minutes after the termination of dialysis. Twenty patients were studied prospectively. There was no significant difference between corrected blood flow calculated with the standard and two-needle methods. The BUN obtained from the inlet needle 15 minutes after conclusion of the treatment did not differ significantly from the BUN concentration in the specimen from a contralateral arm drawn five minutes before termination of dialysis. Recirculation calculated by the two-needle method correlated well with the results obtained with the standard three-needle method. The two-needle method provides a convenient alternative to the standard three-needle method of determining recirculation.