Evaluation of Some Chemical Parameters of Hemodialysis Water: A Case Study in Iran

One of the most common diseases in the world is kidney failure, which can lead to the death of patients. Hemodialysis is a treatment for patients whose kidneys are failing. The water used to perform dialysis must be healthy, safe, and clean. This study aimed to investigate the concentration of heavy metals in hemodialysis water in one of the Hospitals in Iran and compare it with European Pharmacopeia (EPH) and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards.

The present study is a descriptive-analytical study conducted on the inlet water of hemodialysis machines in hospital. The samples were collected for 3 months from June to September 2021, Which was examined in terms of free residual chlorine, electrical conductivity, pH, and calcium, magnesium, sodium, aluminum, zinc, copper, and lead concentration. Metals concentration in hemodialysis water was measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique.

The average value of parameters such as electrical conductivity, pH, residual free chlorine, sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper and lead in the hemodialysis water was less than the AAMI and EPH standards limits. There was a significant difference at the 95% confidence level with the standard limits, but the aluminum concentration was higher than the standard limits. Also, by examining the medical files of dialysis patients, the most observed problems were anemia and bone diseases, which are probably caused by exposure to high concentrations of aluminum in hemodialysis water.

In present study the aluminum concentration is higher than the standard limits. Considering that the higher aluminum concentration can cause diseases such as anemia, bone diseases, nervous deterioration, and death in hemodialysis patients, therefore, it is recommended to continuously evaluate and monitor the quality of hemodialysis water and the performance of its treatment system.