Highlights
Washington, DC -- Frequent and longer dialysis treatments may provide more benefits for patients than conventional dialysis treatments, according to several studies appearing in upcoming issues of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology ( JASN ). The findings suggest that daily or nightly dialysis sessions at home or in the clinic are viable—and perhaps superior—alternatives for some patients with kidney failure.
Most kidney failure patients who undergo dialysis receive treatments at outpatient facilities three times per week, for three to four hours per visit. Researchers suspect that more frequent and longer treatments might be more effective, but these would be inconvenient for most patients and would take up too much of their time. Therefore, nighttime dialysis while patients sleep (at home or in a clinic) or daily treatments at home might be good options.
Several groups of researchers set out to test these alternatives. Their findings are summarized below.
The studies' findings indicate that additional research is warranted to determine if extended or more frequent dialysis treatments provide benefits for all dialysis patients and to determine the optimal treatment frequency and session length.
The following articles will appear online at http://jasn.asnjournals.org/ on February 23, 2012:Weinhandl: "Survival in Daily Home Hemodialysis and Matched Thrice-Weekly In-Center Hemodialysis Patients." doi: 10.1681/ASN.2011080761
Nesrallah: "Intensive Hemodialysis Associates with Improved Survival Compared with Conventional Hemodialysis." doi: 10.1681/ASN.2011070676
Lacson: "Survival with Three-Times Weekly In-Center Nocturnal Versus Conventional Hemodialysis." doi: 10.1681/ASN.2011070674
Daugirdas: "Effects of Frequent Hemodialysis on Measures of CKD Mineral and Bone Disorder." doi: 10.1681/ASN.2011070688
For a complete list of disclosures and additional information, please contact Adrienne Lea at alea@asn-online.org or 202-503-6560.
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Founded in 1966, and with more than 13,500 members, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) leads the fight against kidney disease by educating health professionals, sharing new knowledge, advancing research, and advocating the highest quality care for patients.
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology