Interdialytic Weight Gain in Hemodialysis Patients: Worse Hospital Admissions and Intradialytic Hypotension

Introduction: Interdialytic weight-gain (IDWG) has been linked to various complications in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Method: Prospective clinical-observational study to evaluate the effect of IDWG in HD patients on the rate of hospital admissions over a 12-month period, and the impact of high IDWG on the frequency of IDH. Results: Of the 240 patients, those who had IDWG ≥ 4%, 81% had at least one hospital admission due to volume-overload or the need for extra HD-session(s). On the other hand, only 19% of those having IDWG < 4% had been admitted or got extra HD sessions (p < 0.001). Of those who were admitted (over 12 months) due to volume overload;74.1% had IDWG ≥ 4%, while 25.9% had IDWG < 4% (p < 0.001). Regarding IDH, 87% of patients having IDWG ≥ 4% had at least one episode of IDH/week. On the other hand, only 22.5% of those with IDWG < 4% had one episode of IDH/week (p < 0.001). When analyzing those who had at least one IDH episode/week;72.9% of them had IDWG ≥ 4%, while only 27.1% had IDWG < 4% (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In HD patients, the frequency of hospital admission due to volume-overload and the need for extra HD-sessions is strongly related to the amount of IDWG (>4% in our patients), the same stands for the frequency of IDH. Thus, control of IDWG in HD patients is of great importance, keeping in mind the importance of the nutrition status of HD patients that may also impact IDWG.

Cooling dialysate during in-center hemodialysis:Beneficial and deleterious effects

The use of cooled dialysate temperatures first came about in the early 1980s as a way to curb the incidence of intradialytic hypotension （IDH）. IDH was then, and it remains today, the most common complication affecting chronic hemodialysis patients. It decreases quality of life on dialysis and is an independent risk factor for mortality. Cooling dialysate was first employed as a technique to incite peripheral vasoconstriction on dialysis and in turn reduce the incidence of intradialytic hypotension. Although it has become a common practice amongst in-center hemodialysis units, cooled dialysate results in up to 70% of patients feeling cold while on dialysis and some even experience shivering. Over the years, various studies have been performed to evaluate the safety and effcacy of cooled dialysate in comparison to a standard, more thermoneutral dialysate temperature of 37℃. Although these studies are limited by small sample size, they are promising in many aspects. They demonstrated that cooled dialysis is safe and equally efficacious as thermoneutral dialysis. Although patients report feeling cold on dialysis, they also report increased energy and an improvement in their overall health following cooled dialysis. They established that cooling dialysate temperatures improves hemodynamic tolerability during and after hemodialysis, even in patients prone to IDH, and does so without adversely affecting dialysis adequacy. Cooled dialysis also reduces the incidence of IDH and has a protective effect over major organs including the heart and brain. Finally, it is an inexpensive measure that decreases economic burden by reducing necessary nursing intervention for issues that arise on hemodialysis such as IDH. Before cooled dialysate becomes standard of care for patients on chronic hemodialysis, larger studies with longer follow-up periods will need to take place to confrm the encouraging outcomes mentioned here.