Impact of Cold Dialysis in Combination With Intradialytic Exercise in Aspects Related to Quality of Life and Health

Summary

Despite the tremendous advances in dialysis technology, hemodialysis (HD) is a significant challenge for dialysis patients and quality of their lives\[2\]. Research has shown for years that dialysate fluid temperature and especially the typical dialysis (TD) temperature at (37°C) are complicated by hemodynamic instability which leading to an increased risk of heat-induced hypotension causing patient discomfort and increased mortality.

Cold dialysis (CD) is defined as the reduction of dialysis fluid temperature to 35-36°C, approximately 1°C below the typical dialysate temperature which ranges between 37-38°C. A number of studies have reported beneficial effects of CD on maintaining hemodynamic stability, minimizes hypotension and exerts a protective effect over major organs including the heart and brain. In addition, current evidence showed the protective effect of CD in cardiac performance during the dialysis session. As the investigators know until today cardiovascular mortality is an important issue for nephrologists that care for ESRD patients, however, many other benefits have been observed on patients' overall health and quality of life levels by used of CD.

The above-mentioned benefits of CD in the hemodynamic stability and the general quality of life of the patients are highlighted even further due to the ever-increasing adoption of intradialytic exercise programs. It has been well established that intradialytic exercise leads to benefits of physiological, functional, and psychological deterioration, which commonly accrues as a consequence of biological aging, catabolic illness, and a sedentary lifestyle, factors that may all contribute to the progressive decline of vitality and quality of life commonly observed in ESRD patients.

However, despite a strong rationale for the implementation of intradialytic exercise programs and the aforementioned benefits of CD, the separate and combined effects of these protocols in aspects related to quality of life and health in ESRD patients have not been investigated to date.

The aim of the current clinical study was to assess the effect of exercise rehabilitation regimes in combination with changes in dialysate temperature in aspects related to quality of life and health in end-stage renal disease patients receiving hemodialysis.

Conditions

• End Stage Renal Failure on Dialysis

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Cold Dialysis

Dialysate temperature reduced to 35oC for a period of 7 months.

PROCEDURE

Typical Dialysis

Dialysate temperature is set at 37oC for a period of 7 months

PROCEDURE

Exercise

Aerobic Intradialytic exercise training

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Thessaly

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Giorgos K Sakkas, PhD · University of Thessaly

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-02-01

Primary Completion

2018-06-29

Completion

2020-02-28

Countries

• Greece

Study Locations