Evaluation of dialysis adequacy in patients under hemodialysis and effectiveness of dialysers reuses.

Reuse of dialysers is being practiced since the start of hemodialysis (HD) service in Nepal, which is cost effective as well as safe. A retrospective study was done in Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital. We reviewed case records of the year 2008 and retrieved required data such as pre and post urea, post dialysis weight and ultrafiltration volume from 186 sessions of dialysis of 60 patients. Dialysis sessions were divided into nine groups according to the number of use of dialyser. Out of 60 patients, 40 were male. Mean age of the study population was 45.82 +/- 15.42 yrs (range 18-78). Dialysers were reprocessed manually up to 9 times. Adequacy of dialysis was assessed using single pool Kt/v (spKt/v) and urea reduction rate (URR). Mean pre urea, post urea and spKt/v were 160 +/- 51.2 mg/dL, 71.8 +/- 28.5 mg/dL and 0.95 +/- 0.28 respectively. Mean URR was 54.82 +/- 11.24%. Out of total 186 sessions, spKt/v was > or = 1.2 in only 31 sessions (17.0%). There was no significant difference in mean spKt/v between the groups (p=0.87). When compared between the individual groups e.g. 1st vs. 7th, 1st vs. 8th and 1st vs. 9th, there was no significant difference in spKt/v. Dialysis is inadequate in most of our patients undergoing HD twice a week. Reuse of dialyser is effective in urea clearance and the practice of reuse is cost effective and safe.