Initiation Condition of Hemodialysis Is Independently Associated with All-Cause Mortality in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Despite the progression of dialysis techniques, the mortality of hemodialysis (HD) patients is still high in China. Here, a retrospective study was performed to investigate the neglected risk factors of all-cause mortality during maintenance HD (MHD). Methods: We investigated 117 MHD patients who died between 2011 and 2016 in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University HD center. In order to analyze the risk factors of 48 months all-cause death, the methods of Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were used. Results: Multivariate analyses of adjusted age and gender showed that MHD patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate <7 or >10 mL/min/1.73 m² and anemia (hemoglobin <100 g/L) at the initiation of dialysis are independently associated with the higher death risk. Using central venous catheter vascular access, cerebrovascular comorbidities, diabetes, low-flux dialyzer, and dialysis frequency ≤2 times weekly were also the independent risk factors of death within 48 months. Conclusions: This study indicated that the status of HD initiation is a risk factor of long-term survival in MHD patients, which were usually ignored for lacking of nephrology care prior and could potentially be identified and modified to improve the survival prognosis. Video Journal Club “Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco” at https://www.karger.com/Journal/ArticleNews/223997?sponsor=52