Setting the stage

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) occurs during 25% to 50% of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) hemodialysis (HD) treatments. The development of IDH signals both technology- and patient-dependent limitations expressed across a broad range of symptoms, from nausea and muscle cramps to ischemic injury. While traditional thinking has emphasized the link between hypertension and cardio-cerebrovascular injury, more recent studies of ESRD patients have stimulated significant interest in hypotension and poor outcomes. Theoretically, hypotension can contribute to the increased relative risk of death in ESRD by several mechanisms, which include acute coronary syndrome, autoregulation dysfunction, ischemia, and arrhythmogenicity. Endothelial abnormalities (increased procoagulation, thrombogenecity risk, and alterations in coronary flow reserve) and altered vascular distribution within the myocardium provide an environment for vascular injury. The current symposia will examine the pathophysiology of IDH, the specific HD prescription modifications to prevent IDH, and newer pharmacologic interventions to treat IDH and will highlight the approach to several clinical cases based on the information presented. It is becoming increasingly important to identify patients at "high risk" for IDH, to customize the HD prescription to the individual patient, to use drug therapy to prevent IDH events, and to track the prevalence of chronic hypotension and the incidence of IDH complications in the dialysis unit.