The effect of hyperacetatemia on cardiac output during regular hemodialysis

We used impedance cardiography to monitor changes in cardiac output in 22 adult patients with terminal renal failure during hemodialysis against a dialyzate containing acetate. In 7 patients arterial acetate levels rose progressively during dialysis while in the remainder they remained low and steady. Patients who developed hyperacetatemia were able to maintain an elevated cardiac output during dialysis in contrast to the patients with stable acetate levels in whom cardiac output fell. These results strengthen our previous conclusion that acetate as used in conventional regular hemodialysis does not have a cardiodepressant action. The reported benefits of bicarbonate dialysis therefore involve other factors.