[A clinical study of early continuous high-volume-hemofiltration in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis]. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of early continuous high-volume-hemofiltration in the treatment of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS: Based on the method of prospective, randomized and controlled clinical trial, 60 patients with SAP between January 2005 and July 2011 from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were divided into control group and hemofiltration group. The hemofiltration group was treated with early continuous high-volume-hemofiltration and not in the control group. The changes of vital signs, clinical symptoms and laboratory indicators were compared between the two groups before and after the treatment. RESULTS: After hemofiltration, the clinical symptoms such as abdominal pain, fever, tachycardia and respiratory distress in hemofiltration group were significantly remitted compared to those in the control group (P < 0.05). The APACHEIIscore (13.3 ± 1.0 vs 14.1 ± 1.2) and the level of TBil [(20.4 ± 11.3) µmol/L vs (28.1 ± 10.9) µmol/L], creatinine [(178.7 ± 71.8) µmol/L vs (215.6 ± 51.3) µmol/L], blood urea nitrogen [(10.1 ± 5.6) mmol/L vs (13.2 ± 3.8) mmol/L] and ALT [(51.3 ± 13.2) U/L vs (62.5 ± 14.3) U/L] were decreased compared to those in the control group (all P values < 0.05). The level of PaO2/FiO2 (197.3 ± 32.4 vs 178.3 ± 31.7) was increased (P < 0.05). After hemofiltration, heart rate was decreased gradually (P < 0.05) in the hemofiltration group than in the control group. Mean artery pressure (mAP) increased gradually (P < 0.05) in the hemofiltration group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: Early continuous high-volume-hemofiltration has significant effects on the treatment of SAP including the improvement of clinic symptoms, the blockade of development from systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), improvement of organ function and prevention from the complications. It may become one of the important therapies for SAP.