SEATTLE—Switching from five-hour hemodialysis (HD) to four-hour hemodiafiltration (HDF) does not significantly alter patient outcomes except for serum albumin levels, according to a new study by French researchers.

Reasons include a lack of nephrologist training in the modality and a number of mistaken beliefs.

SEATTLE—Switching from five-hour hemodialysis (HD) to four-hour hemodiafiltration (HDF) does not significantly alter patient outcomes except for serum albumin levels, according to a new study by French researchers

SEATTLE—The frequency of surgical operations increases in diabetics after the start of hemodialysis (HD), according to researchers. The main reason is an increase in the frequency of amputations for gangrene.

SEATTLE—Dialysis patients are at increased risk for fractures, and these fractures are associated with a higher morbidity and mortality compared with fractures in the general population, according to nephrologist Jean Holley, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

SEATTLE—The burden of daily home hemodialysis (HD) is among the major reasons patients discontinue the modality, researchers reported at the 30th Annual Dialysis Conference here.

SEATTLE—Daily hemodialysis (DHD) is associated with significant improvements in restless legs syndrome (RLS), a finding that confirms previously reported improvements in other measures of health-related quality of life, investigators reported here at the 30th Annual Dialysis Conference.

SEATTLE—Vitamin D supplementation in hemodialysis (HD) patients who are deficient in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-D) may decrease the need for erythropoietin (EPO), according to researchers.

SEATTLE—A study by British investigators suggests that more older patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) should be educated about peritoneal dialysis (PD) and the potential benefits it may offer over hemodialysis (HD).

Most hemodialysis (HD) patients admitted to a long-term care hospital (LTCH) are either re-admitted to acute-care hospitals or require nursing home placement, according to researchers.