Clinical effect of short daily in-center hemodialysis.
BACKGROUND
The safety and efficacy of short daily hemodialysis has been reported in the USA and Europe, but there is no report on its efficacy in Japanese patients undergoing hemodialysis.


METHODS
Twenty-three outpatients (14 men and 9 women, 55.8 +/- 9.6 years old and 11.1 +/- 6.6 years on dialysis) undergoing hemodialysis 3 times/week participated in this study. After 4 weeks' baseline observation under conventional hemodialysis, they were subjected to short daily in-center hemodialysis (DHD, 6 times/week) for 12 weeks and then a 4-week follow-up observation period under conventional hemodialysis.


RESULTS
The mean pre-dialysis systolic and diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased in the DHD period. Antihypertensive drugs could be discontinued or the dose was reduced in 6 of 11 patients treated with such drugs. The hematocrit level tended to increase in the DHD period, and recombinant human erythropoietin could be discontinued or reduced in 7 of 14 patients. Localized skin rash caused by the adhesive tape and lidocaine patch at the blood access was observed in only 2 patients, but no other adverse events associated with DHD were noted.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that DHD is safe and more useful than conventional 3 times/week hemodialysis for Japanese patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Koshikawa
Shozo
S
Internal Medicine, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
Akizawa
Tadao
T
Saito
Akira
A
Kurokawa
Kiyoshi
K
D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods