Objective To study the effects of continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) on oxygen metabolism and thoracic fluid content (TFC) in H1N1 influenza virus infected patients with respiratory failure. Methods We recruited 10 H1N1 influenza virus infected patients with respirator failure, to whom CVVH was applied in combination with other routine therapies. Their hemodynamic parameters including heart rate (HR), mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP), peripheral vascular resistance (SVR), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), cardiac output (CO), and TFC were measured before CVVH and after CVVH for 24h, 48h, 72h and 120h. Oxygen delivery (DO2), oxygen extraction (VO2), oxygen extraction rate (ERO2), and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) were also examined before CVVH and after CVVH for 24h, 48h and 72h. Results HR and TFC decreased after CVVH for 48h, SVR and PVR declined after CVVH for 72h, and CO, PAWP and MPAP gradually stabilized after CVVH for 120h. The changes of these parameters are statistically significant as compared with those before CVVH (P＜0.05). TFC reduced after CVVH for 48h (P＜0.05, compared with that before CVVH). In patients before CVVH, DO2, ERO2 and VO2 increased, and oxygen partial pressure in pulmonary artery (PaO2) decreased. After CVVH for 72h, their DO2, ERO2 and VO2 gradually stabilized in association with the increases of oxygenation index (OI) and PaO2 and the decrease of APACHE II scores (P＜0.05). Conclusion CVVH can significantly improve respiratory function and oxygen metabolism, remove extravascular water in lung, and thus raise the survival rate of the patients.