Myocardial alterations during hemodialysis: insights from new noninvasive technology

Eighteen patients with chronic renal failure had their cardiac status monitored during hemodialysis (HD). Ten studies were carried out using an ambulatory nuclear vest to assess ejection fraction (EF), heart rate (HR), relative end-systolic (ESV) and end-diastolic (EDV) volumes every 60 s. A total of 36 episodes of EF falls occurred in 9 patients, all asymptomatic. These EF falls were associated with a rise in ESV, while HR, BP, and EDV remained unchanged. The EF falls correlated best with the volume of ultrafiltrate removed. Ten patients had on-line ST-segment monitoring with sestamibi injection either at the time of ST depression (STD) or at the end of dialysis, if no STD occurred, in order to detect the presence of transient ischemia. Seven of ten patients had perfusion defects after dialysis, with STD occurring in 3 of 10 patients. Predialysis imaging was available in only 8 of 10 patients, and 6 of these patients had perfusion defects. Changes in perfusion defects were not significantly different in the 3 patients with STD compared with those without STD. EF falls and perfusion defects are common in HD patients even in the absence of known coronary artery disease; however, ST segment monitoring is not a sensitive tool for its detection. These changes in function and perfusion may represent myocardial ischemia and contribute to the high incidence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this patient population.