Twice weekly hemodialysis is safe at the beginning of kidney replacement therapy: the experience of the Nephrology Department at Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax, south of Tunisia

Abstract

We re-examine the infrequent paradigm of a biweekly dialysis at the start of renal replacement therapy. The current method is to launch hemodialysis among patients using a ‘full-dose’ posology three times a week. As a matter of fact, recent data has suggested that frequent hemodialysis leads to high mortality at the onset of dialysis. The aim of our study is to show the factors affecting early mortality, especially the hemodialysis frequency. We undertook an observational study in the hemodialysis unit of Sfax University Hospital (south Tunisia). We enrolled the incident patients during one year. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients were noted. The survival status of each patient is observed at 6 months after the onset of hemodialysis. We analyzed the factors associated with mortality, especially the hemodialysis frequency (twice or thrice weekly hemodialysis regimen). We enrolled 88 patients with mean age of 56 ± 18 years old. Thirty patients underwent twice weekly dialysis (Group 1) and 58 patients underwent thrice weekly dialysis (Group 2). The mortality at 6 months was similar in the 2 groups (the rate of death = 30% in group 1 vs 13.8% in group 2, p = 0.07). However, the mortality was lower in the group with preserved residual diuresis (35.3% vs 64.7% in the group without residual diuresis, p = 0.02). The mortality was higher in diabetes patients (64.7% vs 35.5%, p = 0.02). It was concluded that twice or threefold weekly treatment have some considerable similar outcomes on the patients' survival (at 6 months).