The Risks of High Ultrafiltration Rate in Chronic Hemodialysis: Implications for Patient Care

As dialytic practice has evolved, hemodialysis (HD) adequacy has come to be defined in terms of small molecule clearance. A growing body of evidence suggests that fluid dynamics, specifically ultrafiltration rate (UFR), bear clinical and physiological significance and should perhaps play a more central role in titrating HD therapy. Three recent studies have shown an independent association between higher UFR and mortality. Further work is needed to determine whether this relationship represents a direct toxic effect of rapid fluid perturbations or whether this association is a consequence of confounding on the basis of large interdialytic weight gain, as each would prompt a different therapeutic response. This mounting evidence builds the case that fluid management should play a more central role in the dialytic prescription and that more individualized approaches to fluid management should be encouraged.