[Cardiac arrest in dialysis patients: Risk factors, preventive measures and management in 2015]

Patients undergoing hemodialysis have a 10 to 20 times higher risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) than the general population. Sudden cardiac death is a rare event (approximately 1 event per 10,000 sessions) but has a very high mortality rate. Epidemiological data comes almost exclusively from North American studies; there is a great lack of European data on the subject. Ventricular arrhythmia is the main mechanism of sudden cardiac deaths in dialysis patients. These patients develop increased sensitivity mainly due to a high prevalence of severe ischemic heart disease and left ventricular hypertrophy and to a frequent trigger event: electrolytic and plasma volume shifts during dialysis sessions. Unfortunately, accurate predictive markers of SCA do not exist, however some primary prevention trials using beta-blockers or angiotensin II receptor blockers are encouraging, while the use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators in the population of chronic dialysis patients remains controversial. Identification of patients at risk, minimizing trigger events such as electrolytic shifts and improving team skills in the diagnosis and initial resuscitation with the latest recommendations from 2010 seem necessary to reduce incidence and improve survival in this high risk population. Organization of European studies would also allow a more accurate view of this reality in our dialysis units.