A Comparative Study of Blood Pressure Control with Short In-Center versus Long Home Hemodialysis

• Published in: Blood purification Vol. 19; no. 3; p. 293
• Main Authors: McGregor, D O, Buttimore, A L, Lynn, K L, Nicholls, M G, Jardine, D L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 01-01-2001
• Subjects: Adult; Blood Pressure; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; Cross-Over Studies; Female; Hemodialysis, Home - adverse effects; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Renal Dialysis - adverse effects
• ISSN: 0253-5068
• DOI: 10.1159/000046957

We conducted a randomized crossover trial to establish, within patients, whether long-slow hemodialysis (HD) was associated with better blood pressure (BP) control than standard HD. Nine home HD patients, not on antihypertensive drugs, were dialyzed to the same eKt/V(urea) and target weights for 6-8 h (LD) at home and for 3.5-4.5 h (SD) in the dialysis center 3 times weekly in randomized sequence, with each phase lasting 8 weeks. Ambulatory BP, bioimpedance, neurohormones and autonomic function were measured in each phase. Pre- and postdialysis systolic, ambulatory systolic and diastolic BP were all higher with SD than with LD and intradialysis hypotension was more common. Weight, ECF volume and neurohormones did not differ between treatments. Muscle sympathetic activity was increased in both phases and cardiac sympathetic activity tended higher during SD. These findings suggest that additional factors to ECF volume may contribute to the superior BP control produced by long-slow HD.