Ankle-brachial index trajectory before death in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis

The trajectory of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) over time in relation to death has not been fully described in patients undergoing hemodialysis. We modeled ABI trajectory pattern before death in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.

Patients undergoing hemodialysis in a dialysis facility were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into two groups, deceased and surviving groups, based on their status at the end of the observation period. Linear mixed-effect model and a backward timescale from the year of death or study end date were used to compare ABI trajectory between the deceased and surviving groups during the observation period.

A total of 442 patients (median age, 65 years; 60.2%, men) were included. During the observation period (median, 5.3 years; maximum, 8.5 years), 130 deaths were observed. Differences in ABI between the deceased and survivors were detected in the early stages (difference at 7 years before death, 0.08; p = 0.01), with the differences between these groups becoming more pronounced at 1 year before death (difference at 1 year before death, 0.11; p < 0.001).

Differences in ABI trajectory between the deceased and survivors were detected from the early stages to just before death.