Vital Sign Variations with Complications during Dialysis among End-Stage Renal Disease Patients

To analyse the association of vital sign variations with complications during dialysis among end-stage renal disease patients.

Cross-sectional study.

Dialysis Centre, Memon Medical Institute Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from December 2016 to February 2017.

Patients on regular hemodialysis with permanent vascular access were selected. Analysis was done during their regular hemodialysis session. Vital signs were measured before and after dialysis, and ultrafiltration (in litre) was recorded post-dialysis. Complications and the variations in vital sign during dialysis were documented as 'yes' or 'no' on the proforma. The association of vital sign on complications during dialysis was analysed by using Pearson Chi-square or Fisher Exact test. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Among the study participants, 250 (65.78%) were males and 130 (34.21) were females. Overall mean age and ultrafiltration rate were 51.89 ±15.83 years and 2.11 ±0.99, respectively. Most of the patients suffered with complications of cramps during dialysis,i.e. 151 (39.73%) followed by complication of hypotension 143 (37.63%). Significant association was observed onlyinvariation in systolic blood pressure with complication of hypotension (p<0.001), followed by variation in body weight with complication of cramps (p=0.016) and hypotension (p=0.037).

Vital signs variations, i.e. variation in systolic blood pressure and variation in body weight, are associated with intradialytic complications, i.e. hypotension and hypotension with cramps, respectively.