This has appeared in many previous papers. The college love citrate, and have dedicated some SAQs to it:
Citrate is a calcium chelator, and by robbing the clotting cascade of its ionised calcium it disables the steps of the cascade in which calcium plays a role (many people dont realise that calcium used to be Factor IV). This has been used to preserve the fluidity of blood samples for many decades, being first discovered around 1890.
The following are clotting cascade proteins which require calcium to function:
So, 2, 7 9 and 10. Same as the Vitamin K-dependent factors.
The net effect is the inhibition of thrombin formation.
In order to work, the citrate dose must be adjusted to achieve an ionised calcium concentration less than 0.4mmol/L within the filter.
A good overview of this is available from an article by Bellomo and Kellum. Of the infused citrate, some proportion is actualy removed by the CRRT circuit (as it is a small molecule), and the rest is rapidly metabolized in the Krebs cycle reactions - particularly in the liver, muscle and renal cortex. The chelated calcium is released by this process.
As a metabolic substrate, citrate has a measurable nutritional value: about 3kcal/g, or 0.59kcal/mmol (in case you are wondering, 1g citrate = 5mmol). And because it is consumed in Krebs cycle, it has the advantage of increasing the strong ion difference by being a strong anion which disappears without a trace. For each molecule of citrate burned in the Krebs furnace, three sodium ions are left behind, which has the equivalent effect of adding 3 HCO3- molecules.
A non-Stewartian explanation is also often given for this phenomenon. It describes the process of metabolism as something which consumes 3 H+ ions, and therefore has the equivalent effect of adding 3 HCO3- molecules. Even more crudely, it is generally said that "citrate generates three bicarbonate molecules". It is true - its metabolism is the equivalent of buffering, and in excess citrate can cause a metabolic alkalosis.
Is it any good, you ask.
The answer is, probably yes.
Here are a few papers:
Oudemans-van Straaten, Heleen M., et al. "Citrate anticoagulation for continuous venovenous hemofiltration*." Critical care medicine 37.2 (2009): 545-552.
Tolwani, Ashita J., et al. "Simplified citrate anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy." Kidney international 60.1 (2001): 370-374.
Bakker, Andries J., et al. "Detection of citrate overdose in critically ill patients on citrate-anticoagulated venovenous haemofiltration: use of ionised and total/ionised calcium." Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine 44.8 (2006): 962-966.
Uhl, L., et al. "Unexpected citrate toxicity and severe hypocalcemia during apheresis." Transfusion 37.10 (1997): 1063-1065.
Webb, A. R., et al. "Maintaining blood flow in the extracorporeal circuit: haemostasis and anticoagulation." Intensive care medicine 21.1 (1995): 84-93.
Mikaelsson, M. E. "The Role of Calcium in Coagulation and Anticoagulation."Coagulation and Blood Transfusion. Springer US, 1991. 29-37.
Mycielska, Maria E., et al. "Citrate transport and metabolism in mammalian cells." Bioessays 31.1 (2009): 10-20.
Kramer, Ludwig, et al. "Citrate pharmacokinetics and metabolism in cirrhotic and noncirrhotic critically ill patients." Critical care medicine 31.10 (2003): 2450-2455.
Hetzel, Gerd R., et al. "Regional citrate versus systemic heparin for anticoagulation in critically ill patients on continuous venovenous haemofiltration: a prospective randomized multicentre trial." Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation 26.1 (2011): 232-239.
Oudemans-van Straaten, Heleen M., John A. Kellum, and Rinaldo Bellomo. "Clinical review: anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy-heparin or citrate." Crit Care 15.1 (2011): 202.
Oudemans-van Straaten, Heleen M., et al. "Citrate anticoagulation for continuous venovenous hemofiltration*." Critical care medicine 37.2 (2009): 545-552.
Schilder, Louise, et al. "Citrate anticoagulation versus systemic heparinisation in continuous venovenous hemofiltration in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury: a multi-center randomized clinical trial." Crit Care 18 (2014): 472.
Monchi, Mehran, et al. "Citrate vs. heparin for anticoagulation in continuous venovenous hemofiltration: a prospective randomized study." Intensive care medicine 30.2 (2004): 260-265.
Fiaccadori, Enrico, et al. "Regional citrate anticoagulation for renal replacement therapies in patients with acute kidney injury: a position statement of the Work Group “Renal Replacement Therapies in Critically Ill Patients” of the Italian Society of Nephrology." Journal of Nephrology (2015): 1-14.
O'Brien, J. R., S. M. Shoobridge, and W. J. Finch. "Comparison of the effect of heparin and citrate on platelet aggregation." Journal of clinical pathology 22.1 (1969): 28-31.
Mann KG1, Whelihan MF, Butenas S, Orfeo T. "Citrate anticoagulation and the dynamics of thrombin generation." J Thromb Haemost. 2007 Oct;5(10):2055-61.
Sunnerhagen, M., et al. "Effect of Ca2+ on the structure of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors." Pathophysiology of Haemostasis and Thrombosis 26.Suppl. 1 (1996): 45-53.