Real-world effectiveness of hemodialysis modalities: a retrospective cohort study

Results from the CONVINCE clinical trial suggest a 23% mortality risk reduction among patients receiving high-volume (> 23 L) hemodiafiltration. We assessed the real-world effectiveness of blood-based kidney replacement therapy (KRT) with hemodiafiltration vs. hemodialysis in a large, unselected patient population treated prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed pseudonymized data from 85,117 adults receiving in-center care across NephroCare clinics in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa during 2019-2022. Cox regression models with KRT modality and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) status as time-varying covariates, and adjusted for multiple confounders, were used to estimate all-cause (primary) and cardiovascular (secondary) mortality. Subgroup analyses were performed for age, dialysis vintage, COVID-19 status, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

At baseline, 55% of patients were receiving hemodialysis and 45% of patients were receiving hemodiafiltration. Baseline characteristics were similar between baseline modalities, except that hemodiafiltration patients were a median of 2 years younger, had higher percentage of fistula access (66% vs. 47%), and had longer mean dialysis vintages (4.4 years vs. 2.6 years). Compared with hemodialysis, hemodiafiltration was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality of 0.78 (95% confidence interval [Cl], 0.76-0.80), irrespective of COVID-19 infection. The pattern of a beneficial effect of hemodiafiltration was consistently observed among all analyzed subgroups. Among patients receiving high-volume hemodiafiltration (mean convection volume ≥ 23 L), the risk of death was reduced by 30% (HR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.68-0.72]). Hemodiafiltration was also associated with a 31% reduced risk of cardiovascular death.

Our results suggest that hemodiafiltration has a beneficial effect on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a large, unselected patient population and across patient subgroups in real-world settings. Our study complements evidence from the CONVINCE trial and adds to the growing body of real-world evidence on hemodiafiltration.