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Context: One of the main factors associated with the death of chronic renal failure patients is dialysis adequacy. Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between filter type and blood flow rate with dialysis adequacy in hemodialysis patients referring to educational hospitals of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Setting and Design: This correlational study was performed in 2016 in educational hospitals of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 185 hemodialysis patients. Sampling was done using simple random sampling. The inclusion criteria included at least 6 months of hemodialysis history and two sessions of dialysis per week. Demographic data, as well as information on the filter type and blood flow rate, were collected using a questionnaire. Dialysis adequacy is generally measurable by two methods of urea reduction ratio (URR) and K or urea clearance, T or time of dialysis, and V, or volume of urea distribution in the body (KT/V) (K or urea clearance). Statistical Analysis Used: Data were described with mean, standard deviation, and frequency and analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Out of a total of 185 patients, 101 patients were male and 84 were female, with a mean age of 57.2 ± 0.7 years. The dialysis adequacy in high-flux and low-flux filters was, respectively, 79% and 1.5% based on the KT/V index and 70.6% and 0% according to the URR index. A statistically significant relationship was found between the filter type and blood flow rate with both KT/V and URR criteria (P < 0.001). Conclusion: It is recommended to use high-flux filters with high blood flow rate to improve dialysis adequacy in patients with hemodialysis. However, other factors affecting dialysis adequacy should be considered.

We conducted a randomized crossover trial to identify whether the use of citrate dialysate (CD) for bicarbonate hemodialysis is beneficial compared to regular acetate dialysate (AD) in terms of adequacy, reuse, and quality of life. Thirty-two stable end-stage renal disease patients on twice-weekly maintenance hemodialysis were randomly assigned to CD or AD fluid in a single-blinded randomized prospective crossover trial of 1-year duration. The primary outcomes studied were the impact of CD in comparison with AD on hemodialysis adequacy, reuse of dialyzer, and quality of life. Secondary outcomes studied were the effect on intradialytic hypotension, acidosis correction, and episodes of symptomatic hypocalcemia. A total number of 28 patients underwent a total of 1456 sessions of hemodialysis with CD over 6 months and 1456 sessions with AD over 6 months. There was a significant increase in dialyzer reuse with the use of CD (P = 0.02). There was no difference in dialyzer adequacy as measured by Single pool Kt/V (spKt/V) (P = 0.840) and urea reduction ratio (%) (P = 0.90). Quality of life did not differ between the two groups. No statistically significant difference was observed in predialysis arterial pH (P = 0.23) serum bicarbonate (0.17) and calcium change (P = 0.16). CD is safe and equally effective as compared to AD. It significantly improves the reuse of dialyzer but it does not offer any added advantage in terms of improvement in hemodialysis adequacy and quality of care.

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is high in patients undergoing chronic dialysis than it is in the general population. The diagnosis of TB is often difficult and extrapulmonary involvement is predominant. This study investigates the spectrum of clinical presentations and outcome in dialysis patients during a nine-year period. TB was diagnosed in 41 patients. Anti-TB drugs, adverse effects of therapy, and outcome were noted. Thirty-eight patients (92.6%) were on hemodialysis and three were on peritoneal dialysis (7.3%). The mean age at diagnosis was 50.8 years and the male/female ratio was 1.16. Four patients had a history of pulmonary TB. Extrapulmonary involvement was observed in 32 (78 %) patients. The bacteriological confirmation was made in 41.46% and histological confirmation was made in 26.83%, and in the rest, the diagnosis was retained on the criterion presumption. Nineteen patients (46.34%) developed adverse effects of antitubercular drugs. Eight patients (19.51%) died during the study from TB or adverse effects of treatment. Low urea reduction ratio and female sex were associated with poor prognosis in our study. The clinical manifestations of TB in patients on dialysis are quite nonspecific, making timely diagnosis difficult, and delaying the initiation of curative treatment, which is a major determinant of the outcome.

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common problem in patients with the end-stage renal disease. In contrast to SD in males, relatively little work has been performed in the field of SD in females. In this study, we tried to identify the main determinants of SD in women aged 15-45year-old on chronic hemodialysis (HD). One hundred-forty female patients aged 15-45-year-old on chronic HD were studied in the winter of the year 2013. Healthy relatives of the patients were chosen as controls and matched for age, level of education, marital status, and income. Both cases and controls were interviewed by the same female interviewer. The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) was used as a questionnaire. A significant correlation was found between the total ASEX score and age and duration on HD (r = 0.599, P = 0.003 and r = 0.434, P = 0.043, respectively). No correlation was found between serum hemoglobin, parathormone, creatinine, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and urea reduction ratio and the ASEX score. Moreover, the correlation between the ASEX score and socioeconomic parameters like level of education and monthly income was not significant (all P >0.1). There was a significant difference in the total ASEX score between cases and controls (16.31 ± 2.50 vs. 9.80 ± 4.21, P

Background: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF), permanent catheter (PC), and vascular graft are three vascular access types used for hemodialysis procedure. Due to insufficient reliable information on the comparison between AVF and PC, this study was conducted to compare AVF and PC regarding dialysis adequacy. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was carried out from March, 2013 to September, 2013. In this study, 76 hemodialysis patients were enrolled and assigned to two unequal groups of AVF and PC. Before and after the dialysis session, blood samples were taken for laboratory examinations and measurement of urea reduction ratio (URR) and Kt/V. The patients were followed up for six months, and then laboratory examinations were repeated. Results: Of the 76 hemodialysis patients, 30 had AVF and others PC. During the 6-month follow-up, 24 patients in PC group but only one patient in AVF group showed infection (P = 0.006), while in each group, three cases of thrombosis were seen (P = 0.58); however, catheter dysfunction was seen in 13 patients of PC group but no patients of AVF group (P = 0.004). There was no difference between the two groups in Kt/V and URR at the beginning of the study; however, after six months, Kt/V and URR were greater in AVF group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In addition to some advantages of AVF over PC, such as lower rate of infection and thrombosis, we also found better dialysis adequacy in AVF group. We recommend that AVF be created in all of patients with chronic kidney disease who are candidates for hemodialysis.