The very old on hemodialysis: 8 years' experience in a single unit

Elderly patients constitute a significant proportion of chronically dialyzed patients. This study evaluated mortality rates and predictors of mortality among very old patients receiving chronic hemodialysis (HDx).

A single-center retrospective analysis was carried out on patients >84 years of age who started chronic dialysis between 2004 and 2012. Univariate and multivariate analyses determined which parameters predicted survival.

Twenty-nine hemodialyzed patients (19 males) were studied. Mean age was 88 ± 3 years. Median survival time was 38 months (range 4-96). One-year and 2-year survival probability was 80 and 65%, respectively. The most common cause of death was complicated peripheral vascular disease. Multivariate analysis revealed the following: for each 1 g/dl decrease in serum albumin level, the hazard ratio for patient death was 2.63 (p = 0.017), and for each weekly HDx treatment time decrease of 1 h, the hazard ratio for patient death was 1.40 (p = 0.006).

Very elderly patients can be hemodialyzed with cautious optimism.