Daily hemodialysis 2006. State of the art

The need to improve the dialysis outcomes, the negative results from the HEMO and ADEMEX studies as well reports of clinical benefits have rekindled the interest in daily hemodialysis. Although no randomized controlled studies have been published, a large number of manuscripts have described significant benefits from both the short or nocturnal forms of daily (quotidian) dialysis or hemo(dia)filtration. They include improved quality of life, hemodynamic stability, blood pressure control with minimal number of medications, anemia control, regression of cardiac hypertrophy and improved nutrition. Furthermore, quotidian nocturnal hemodialysis provides higher dialysis dose, and has been described to improve endothelial as well as endothelial progenitor cell function, heart rate variability, sleep and phosphate control while it offers unrestricted diet. Several studies have pointed to a lower overall cost and improved cost utility when treating patients using quotidian hemodialysis at home. The obstacles to widespread use are the reimbursement structure in most countries, the willingness and ability of the patients to do home hemodialysis and the availability of user-friendly machines. A prospective randomized controlled study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) currently underway will be pivotal in confirming these benefits and convincing the stakeholders to promote the use of daily hemodialysis.