title: Improvement in ejection fraction by nocturnal haemodialysis in end-stage renal failure patients with coexisting heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Congestive heart failure (CHF) is an independent risk factor for mortality in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population. Nocturnal haemodialysis (NHD), a novel mode of renal replacement therapy, may be more effective than conventional haemodialysis in reducing intravascular volume or in removing uraemic toxins with vasoconstrictor or myocardial depressant actions, and may, therefore, improve the left ventricular (LV) systolic function of patients with coexisting cardiac and renal failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  To test this hypothesis, we determined, in six patients (mean age+/-SD: 49.5+/-9 years), blood pressure (BP), ejection fraction (EF: radionucleotide angiography), left ventricular mass index (LVMI: echocardiography), LV fractional shortening (FS), and extracellular fluid volume (ECFV: bioelectrical impedance): before and after a mean of 3.2+/-2.1 years following conversion from conventional dialysis (3 days/week x 4 h) to NHD (6 nights/week x 8-10 h).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant reductions in systolic and mean arterial BP (138+/-10 to 120+/-9 mmHg, P=0.04; 99+/-6 to 86+/-7 mmHg, P=0.01). There was a significant increase in EF (28+/-12 to 41+/-18%, P=0.01) and a trend to greater LV FS (20+/-10 to 38+/-17%, P=0.06). Post-dialysis ECFV was not affected by dialysis mode (18.5+/-5.1 vs 18.2+/-3.5 l, P=0.76). The number of prescribed cardiovascular medications was reduced (2.2-0.7, P=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In ESRD patients with systolic dysfunction, NHD leads to a sustained increase of EF and a reduction in the requirement for vasoactive medications in the absence of any reduction in post-dialysis ECFV.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, The Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Floras
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierratos
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011674:Pulse; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors