Pathogenesis of dialysis-induced hypoxemia

Patients undergoing hemodialysis with acetate-containing dialysis solutions develop hypoxemia. To determine the cause of the hypoxemia, we studied and compared the ventilatory, gas-exchange and blood-gas responses in chronic renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis with acetate and bicarbonate dialysis solutions. Seven stable chronic dialysis patients were dialyzed against acetate and bicarbonate solutions in a random order. Dialysis was carried out using a 1.5 m2 hollow fiber dialyzer at a blood flow rate of 200 ml/min and a dialysate flow rate of 500 ml/min. During acetate dialysis, PaO2 fell within 15 minutes from a mean control predialysis concentration of 84 = 6 (SEM) mmHg to a mean of 70 +/- 7.5 mmHg (P less than 0.05), and remained low throughout the study. PaO2 did not change significantly during bicarbonate dialysis. Total ventilation fell from a predialysis level of 7.2 +/- 0.7 L/min to 5.7 +/- 0.6 L/min within 15 minutes (P less than 0.05). PaCO2 was not significantly changed from predialysis levels with either acetate or bicarbonate dialysis. Measurement of blood concentration of CO2 and bicarbonate across the dialyzer indicated that the total CO2 loss (as CO2 and bicarbonate) through the dialyzer was 3 millimoles per minute or the equivalent of approximately 60 ml of CO2 per minute, i.e., about one third of the patient's metabolic production of CO2.