Effect of Electronic Moxibustion in Patients with IDH: A Randomized Crossover Pilot Study

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH), a common complication of hemodialysis (HD), is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, morbidity, and mortality. Fatigue is one of the most frequent symptoms of IDH, and deteriorates the quality of life of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electronic moxibustion for improving IDH and its associated symptoms.

We prospectively recruited 32 end-stage renal disease patients with IDH who underwent regular HD at our hospital's dialysis center between April 2019 and April 2020. A randomized, controlled, two-arm crossover trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy of adding one-hour electronic moxibustion during HD. The outcome measurements included patients' subjective assessment of the degree of fatigue, recovery time of fatigue from HD, cold intolerance before and after each intervention, frequency of IDH episodes and nursing interventions needed during HD, and blood pressure changes during HD.

Thirty (94%) patients completed the study. Intervention with electronic moxibustion improved the degree of fatigue (95% CI, -2.95 to -0.18, p = 0.027), specifically in patients prescribed with midodrine (95% CI, -4.20 to -0.53, p = 0.013). The short-term use of electronic moxibustion during HD did not significantly alter the frequency of IDH or reduce the degree of decrease in blood pressure. Serious adverse effects were not observed. One patient complained of heat, whereas two patients had local transient erythema and pruritus.

Electronic moxibustion appears to be safe and efficacious for improving IDH-related fatigue, thus acting as an adjuvant therapy in HD units to enhance patient comfort and treatment adherence. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm the benefits of this novel technique.