[Out-of-center blood pressure measurements in dialysis patients: Feasibility and comparison of methods]

The European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA)/European Society of Hypertension (ESH) recommends out-of-center blood pressure measurements, self-blood pressure measurement or ambulatory blood pressure measurement in dialysis patients. However, the feasibility of out-of-center blood pressure measurements in routine care is not known. The objective of our study was to quantify it as "a priori" i.e. the percentage of hemodialysis to whom out-of-center blood pressure measurements can be proposed and who accept it, as "a posteriori", i.e. the percentage of out-of-center blood pressure measurements made and valid. A systematic out-of-center blood pressure measurements program was implemented from April to October 2019 in our chronic hemodialysis structures. It was proposed to each dialysis patient to carry out after education, an self-blood pressure measurement (Omron M3®), from 2 measurements, to 1 to 2minutes interval, mornings and evenings of 6days without dialysis (validity: 15 measures). Apart from arrhythmic patients, to all patients "not eligible" for self-blood pressure measurement (visually impaired, hemiplegic, neuropsychological disorders, language barrier), a 44-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement (Microlife WatchBP 03®) was proposed separating 2 hemodialysis sessions; measures every 15minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 30minutes from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (validity: 40 measurements/day and 14/night). This is a study evaluating practices recommended for routine care in 18-year-old hemodialysis, having given their consent to the collection and analysis of the data. One hundred twenty nine patients were treated with chronic hemodialysis in our structures during the out-of-center blood pressure measurements campaign. Out-of-center blood pressure measurements could not be done in 21 patients (4 deceased, 2 transplanted and 4 absent before evaluation; 7 arrhythmics; 3 refusals and 1 multiple-disabled). Of these 108 patients (sex ratio 1.25; 69.3±13.5 years), 23 were ineligible for self-blood pressure measurement (visually impaired, neuro- and/or psychological disorders, language barrier). Due to 4 self-blood pressure measurement failures, the feasibility of the self-blood pressure measurement (n=81/129) is 62.8 % (CI95% 54.2-70.7). Of the 24 ambulatory blood pressure measurements performed (23 among those not eligible for self-blood pressure measurement and 1 failure of self-blood pressure measurement), 19 were valid. The "a posteriori" feasibility of out-of-center blood pressure measurements (n=100/129) is 77.5 % (CI95% 69.6-83.4). The feasibility of out-of-center blood pressure measurements in hemodialysis patients is good, making the application of the recommendations possible.