title: Long-hours home haemodialysis--the best renal replacement therapy method?
abstract: Two hundred and eighty-six patients (190 males and 96 females) with end-stage renal failure (ESRD) started haemodialysis (HD) at Withington Hospital between 1 January 1968 and 31 December 1986. Of these, 152 (53.1%) were successfully transplanted, while 134 had only HD or one transplant lasting < 3 months (i.e. total HD interruption < 3 months). For the whole group, the probabilities of being alive on long-hours home HD at 10 and 20 years were 58.7% and 33.2%, respectively. Mean gross mortality 1968-1986 was 6.5 +/- 3.2% per year. The main causes of death were cardiovascular (36.6%), infection-related (19.2%) and malignancy (9.6%). Males and younger cohorts had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher probability of being alive on long-hours home HD than did females and older cohorts. Eighty-two patients (29% of the total group) survived more than 10 years, of whom 54 were still alive at 1 January 1996: 44 continuing on HD while the other ten had been successfully transplanted. In these 54 patients, mean 24-h ambulatory blood pressure recorded at the date of the study was 117.6/68.9 mmHg; mean BP for the last 5 years on HD was 136.4/81.2 mmHg. Only four (7.4%) were regularly taking antihypertensive medication. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (by ECG) was present in 64.8% of the 54 patients; its prevalence by echocardiography (LVM index > 130 g/m2 for men and > 110 g/m2 for women) was 77.5%. Only 10 (18.5%) had symptoms or clinical signs of ischaemic heart disease and/or peripheral vascular disease. None had cardiac failure symptoms NYHA class 3-4. Our data show a low incidence of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, confirming those from the Tassin unit in France, and make a medical case for extended haemodialysis treatment hours.
authors.affiliation: Renal Unit, Parhon Hospital, Iasi, Romania. amc21@po.cwru.edu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Covic
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Goldsmith
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Venning
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ackrill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006437:Hemodialysis, Home / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017741:Survivors; D016896:Treatment Outcome