Demographic Pattern and Clinical Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis in a Tertiary Centre of a Developing Country: A Review of 280 Cases

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Globally, renal replacement therapy especially haemodialysis remains pivotal in the effective care of patients with kidney diseases since its acceptance as a treatment modality. Despite being widely embraced as a therapeutic option, several factors still hamper its utilization. A clinical audit of this modality option will allow elucidation of haemodialysis practises and peculiarities. METHODS: The charts and records of 280 patients with renal impairments dialyzed between March 1st 2019 and February 28th 2023 were evaluated in retrospect. Data on retrieved demographic and clinical information were analyzed using SPSS 25 and patients’ short-term survival was determined using the Kaplan Meier survival analysis and log rank test. RESULTS: Out of the 280 patients who had 1716 dialysis sessions, 184 (65.7%) were males. The mean age was 47.9 ± 17.5 years. The majority (80.7%) of the patients had chronic kidney disease (CKD), as 90.2% of the dialysis sessions were for CKD. There was a male preponderance (69.1%) in the population. Hypertension was the commonest cause of CKD (41.2%) while sepsis was the commonest cause of acute kidney injury (50%). The median number of dialysis session was 4.0. The mean pre-dialysis hematocrit was 24.4 ± 7.1% and the mean single pool Kt/V was 0.9 ± 0.02. The femoral vein was the most used vascular access (95.4%). The short-term survival was positively related to the dialysis frequency on Kaplan-Meier analysis. CONCLUSION: Haemodialytic therapy in patients with renal disease is still of huge impact on survival despite the numerous factors affecting its effective delivery, especially in low-income nations.