Abstract:Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of nafamostat mesylate (NM) in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) for patients at high risks of bleeding.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the dialysis data of 111 patients at a high risk of bleeding who underwent CRRT at The Affiliated Huai'an No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between February 2024 and January 2025. According to the anticoagulation strategy used, patients were divided into the NM group (n = 41), citrate anticoagulation group (n = 34), and no-heparin group (n = 36). The primary outcomes were CRRT duration and filter/circuit clotting events. Secondary outcomes included changes in hemoglobin, platelet count, and coagulation parameters before and after CRRT, including prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), and levels of fibrinogen (FIB) and D-dimer. The differences among the groups were compared.Results There were no significant differences among the three groups in age, body mass index (BMI), sex distribution, vascular access type, causes of bleeding risks, albumin, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin, platelet count, PT, INR, APTT, or TT (all P > 0.05). The no-heparin group had significantly higher fibrinogen levels than the citrate group, whereas the NM group had significantly higher D-dimer levels than the no-heparin group (both P < 0.05). CRRT duration, filter clotting grade, and overall clotting incidence differed significantly among the three groups (all P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in anticoagulation efficacy or circuit clotting rates (all P > 0.05). The number of filters used differed significantly among the three groups according to Fisher’s exact test (P < 0.05). In the NM group, comparisons of hemoglobin, platelet count, PT, INR, APTT, TT, and levels of FIB and D-dimer before and after CRRT using the Z test showed no statistically significant differences (all P > 0.05). Similarly, in the citrate group, no significant differences were observed in hemoglobin, platelet count, PT, INR, APTT, TT, or levels of FIB and D-dimer before and after CRRT (all P > 0.05). In the no-heparin group, no significant differences were found in hemoglobin, platelet count, INR, APTT, TT, or FIB levels before and after CRRT (all P > 0.05), while PT was significantly lower after CRRT than before CRRT (P < 0.05), and D-dimer levels were significantly increased after CRRT compared with pre-CRRT levels (P < 0.05). Before CRRT, there were no significant differences among the three groups in hemoglobin, platelet count, PT, INR, APTT, TT, or levels of FIB and D-dimer (all P > 0.05). After CRRT, hemoglobin, platelet count, INR, APTT, TT, and D-dimer levels remained comparable among the three groups, with no statistically significant differences (all P > 0.05). However, significant differences were observed among the three groups in post-CRRT PT and FIB levels (both P < 0.05).Conclusion NM provides effective anticoagulation during CRRT in patients at high risk of bleeding and demonstrates a favorable safety profile without increasing the risk of bleeding.