#1112 A simplified lung ultrasound guided management protocol of pulmonary congestion in hemodialysis

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims Pulmonary congestion PC is frequent in Hemodialysis HD and holds a negative prognostic value. Lung ultrasound LUS is accurate in detecting and quantification PC, however, there are many methods to use LUS to evaluate PC. Here we validate a simplified LUS guided pulmonary congestion management protocol in HD patients that can be easily integrated in clinical practice, while studying at the same time the impact of such method on blood pressure control. Methods A prospective randomized multi-centric trial including stable HD patients in 3 countries. Patients were randomized into two groups: active and control group. All patients had a bedside LUS at the end of their mid-week session every two weeks according to the following time-line: Day 1, 15, 30, 45, 60. Lung ultrasound was performed according to the 8-zone method, and a B line score BLS was obtained. A global BLS of more than 6 was considered reflecting a significant PC level. The dry weight was adapted according to the standard of care in the control group. In the active group, in addition to the standard of care, if BLS was more than 6 at day 1 then the dry weight was reduced by 500 g. The same procedure was repeated at Day 15. (The maximum global dry weight modification per patient was 1 kg) (Fig. 1). Home blood pressure monitoring HBPM was also obtained weekly all through the study period. Results 28 stable HD patients (21 males) were enrolled in the study up until now. Mean age was 66.4 years, 14 were diabetics, 4 with stable ischemic heart disease, 1 heart failure and 27 were suffering from hypertension. Mean dialysis vintage was 35.8 months, and mean residual urine volume was 548 ml/24H. Mean session time was 4 hours. Main study population characteristics are described in Table 1. In the active group, mean BLS at day 1 (13.5) was significantly reduced, and reached (7.57) at day 60. (P < 0.001, ES:1.55) (Fig. 2). This was in parallel with a little but significant reduction in the dry weight (P: 0.03, ES: 0.6) but without a statistically greater UF values (P: 0.23) (Table 2). A significant reduction in home blood pressure was also observed by the HBPM readings, especially in the diastolic BP (P: 0.004). In the control group, the mean BLS at day 1 was (12.1). This level did not change all through the study time line, as it was (12.1) at day 60. No significant difference was observed in the dry weight, or ultrafiltration rate UF or home blood pressure values (Table 3). Conclusion Our simplified LUS guided management protocol was able to safely reduce the pulmonary congestion in HD patients in addition to better controlling their blood pressure. This protocol can be applied easily in every HD unit, and may be added to the standard of care to better estimate the dry weight in HD patients.