A cross-sectional study of dialysis practice-patterns in patients with chronic kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis.

We studied the dialysis practice-patterns with regard to various aspects of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5D, like anemia, mineral bone disease, vaccination, hospitalization, hypertension and cost of therapy. Four hundred and sixty-four adult hemodialysis (HD) patients from various dialysis centers of Mumbai were included in the study. The mean age of the study patients was 47.2 years. Temporary dialysis catheters were the most common initial vascular access. Thirteen percent of prevalent HD patients were on temporary catheters; 33% of patients had history of failure of arterio-venous fistula. The most common cause of failure was access thrombosis. About 75% of the patients had hemoglobin <11 g/dL and 35% had uncontrolled blood pressure. The prevalence of positive hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-hepatitis C virus antibody was 6% and 2%, respectively. The average cost of HD treatment was approximately 6100 Indian rupees (about US $100). HD is helpful in treating many of the clinical manifestations of CKD and postpones otherwise imminent death. However, dialysis treatment is no panacea to renal failure; HD patients have higher hospitalization rates and lower quality of life than the general population. The therapy itself brings with it a unique set of problems, such as vascular access-related complications, which cause significant mortality and morbidity. This study was a study of the current HD practices. The primary goal of this cross-sectional observational study is to understand dialysis practices and obtain data that can be used to improve care in the future.