Which statement about ultrafiltration during CPB is accurate?

• A. Ultrafiltration has no impact on fluid balance
• B. Ultrafiltration can remove excess fluid and inflammatory mediators, reducing edema
• C. Ultrafiltration increases inflammatory activation
• D. Ultrafiltration is contraindicated in CPB

Answer: (B)

In CPB, ultrafiltration works by passing blood through a membrane to remove plasma water and small solutes. This helps regulate fluid balance by removing excess fluid, which in turn reduces tissue edema and supports better hemodynamics during bypass. It also helps clear inflammatory mediators released in response to the bypass circuit, which can lessen the systemic inflammatory burden.

That’s why the statement about ultrafiltration removing both excess fluid and inflammatory mediators, thereby reducing edema, is the accurate one. It does affect fluid balance by design, so saying it has no impact is inaccurate. It also tends to dampen inflammatory activation rather than increase it, so the idea that it would raise inflammation doesn’t fit. And ultrafiltration is not contraindicated in CPB; it is a commonly used technique to improve perioperative physiology.