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Main Calogoiy: UioIogy / NophioIogy
AIso IncIudod In: Iood / HonaloIogy
AilicIo Dalo: O1 Aug 2O11 - 1:OO IDT
A sudden drop ln blood pressure whlle
undergolng dlalysls has long vexed many kldney
paLlenLs Slde effecLs assoclaLed wlLh Lhls
slLuaLlon over Lhe long Lerm range from
sLroke Lo selzure Lo hearL damage Lo deaLh
aLlenLs also suffer ln Lhe shorL Lerm wlLh
gasLrolnLesLlnal muscular and neurologlc
sympLoms
now one more dlsLurblng slde effecL can be
been added Lo Lhls llsL
A sLudy led by researchers aL Lhe SLanford
unlverslLy School of Medlclne reporLs an
lncreased rlsk of blood cloLLlng aL Lhe polnL
where Lhe paLlenLs blood vessels are connecLed
Lo Lhe dlalysls machlne known as Lhe polnL of
vascular access 8esearchers from Lhe
unlverslLy of uLah also conLrlbuLed Lo Lhe sLudy
whlch was publlshed onllne !uly 29 ln Lhe
!ournal of Lhe Amerlcan SocleLy of nephrology

Cur analysls shows anoLher adverse
consequence assoclaLed wlLh a fall ln blood
pressure durlng dlalysls for paLlenLs sald 1ara
Chang Mu a SLanford nephrologlsL and lead
auLhor of Lhe sLudy vascular access ls Lhelr
llfellne lLs requlred for dlalysls and wlLhouL
dlalysls Lheyll dle
ulalysls ls a llfeexLendlng procedure LhaL for
mosL paLlenLs wlLh kldney fallure lnvolves
slLLlng ln a chalr Lhree or more Llmes a week
connecLed Lo an arLlflclal kldney machlne 8lood
ls cleansed by exchanglng fluld and elecLrolyLes
across a membrane durlng each Lhree Lo four
hour sesslon aLlenLs are aLLached Lo Lhe
dlalysls machlne Lhrough several means
1hls polnL of vascular access ls known as Lhe
Achllles heel of paLlenLs on dlalysls
Cne of Lhe mosL common forms of vascular
access ls a flsLula whlch ls creaLed surglcally
from Lhe paLlenLs own blood vessels 1he Lubes
used Lo Lake blood Lo and from Lhe body Lo Lhe
dlalysls machlne are connecLed Lo Lhe body aL
Lhls access polnL
CloLLlng ls one of Lhe prlmary compllcaLlons of
an access polnL and can lead Lo lLs closure
1hese access polnLs donL lasL forever sald
Chang a posLdocLoral scholar Many paLlenLs
go Lhrough mulLlple access polnLs movlng from
Lhe rlghL Lo lefL arm or lnLo Lhe legs lf necessary
afLer repeaLed fallures ln Lhe arms When a
paLlenL runs ouL of access polnLs lL becomes an
emergency slLuaLlon AnyLhlng you can do Lo
exLend Lhe llfe of Lhe access polnL ls
lmporLanL

1he sLudy was based on resulLs from Lhe
Pemodlalysls sLudy known as PLMC a
naLlonal lnsLlLuLes of PealLhsponsored
randomlzed cllnlcal Lrlal LhaL collecLed daLa
from 1846 paLlenLs on hemodlalysls from 1993
Lo 2000 (AfLer excluslons Lhe daLa seL for Lhls
new sLudy lncluded 1426 paLlenLs)
1he researchers found LhaL paLlenLs who had
Lhe mosL frequenL eplsodes of low blood
pressure durlng dlalysls were Lwo Llmes more
llkely Lo have a cloLLed flsLula Lhan paLlenLs wlLh
Lhe fewesL eplsodes
AbouL $2 bllllon a year ls spenL on vascular
access ln dlalysls paLlenLs ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes
Low blood pressure durlng dlalysls occurs ln
abouL 23 percenL of dlalysls sesslons
hyslclans already Lry Lo avold low blood
pressure durlng dlalysls Lhrough varlous
means Chang sald 1hls ls [usL one more good
reason Lo conLlnue Lhese efforLs
Changs research ls supporLed by a granL from
Lhe Amerlcan PearL AssoclaLlon

#0,.943
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