View clinical trials related to Complication of Hemodialysis.
Filter by:Little is known about how some drugs affect inflammation or clotting factors in people receiving hemodialysis. It is not yet known if these drugs help prevent heart damage as they do in people not undergoing hemodialysis or whether they could increase the risk of heart problems. The purpose of the study is to measure certain chemicals in the blood and see how those chemicals may change during hemodialysis when certain drugs are given.
Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in the hemodialysis population and calcification of the major arteries (coronary, aorta, and carotid) are a play a central role in this process. The major causes of the calcification are many, including high levels of phosphorus, low levels of inhibitors of calcification, positive calcium balance, and oxidative stress. Once vascular calcification is present, it is usually progressive. There is no known treatment to reverse established vascular calcification. Sodium thiosulfate has been used extensively and safely to treat calcific uremic arteriopathy (a disease, in part due to calcification of small arteries) in dialysis patients. It increases the solubility of calcium by up to 100,000 fold and is also a potent anti-oxidant. It therefore has to potential to also decrease the amount of calcium in large arteries in dialysis patients and, hence improve survival. We will study hemodialysis (HD) patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease and death by obtaining a multidetector computerized tomography (MDCT) Scan of the coronary arteries, carotid arteries and aorta and an assessment of coronary artery stenoses by a simultaneous intravenous infusion of contrast. At the same setting, we will perform tests of pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid ultrasound carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT)studies. In those patients at high risk for cardiovascular death, defined as a coronary artery calcification score (CACS)of greater than 50, sodium thiosulfate at a dose of 12.5-25 gm/1.73 M2 will be infused over 15-30 minutes after each dialysis treatment for 5 months. The above studies will then be repeated.
Malnutrition is a major cause of death in chronic hemodialysis patients. Primary treatment of malnutrition in these patients is dietetic counseling, additional enteral nutrition and occasionally drug therapy. In cases where primary treatment of malnutrition is not effective, intradialytic parenteral nutrition (IDPN)during dialysis therapy may be administered. Using IDPN aminoacids, carbohydrates and fatty acids as well as vitamins and trace elements can be given to the patients. Effectiveness of IDPN has to be verified.
Hemodialysis is a cause of carnitine deficiency. The deficiency of carnitine induces an anemia by an increase fragility of the red blood cells, a muscular fatigue and a cardiac dysfunction. We proposed to evaluate the benefit of an early administration of L-carnitine in hemodialysis patients. The patients should be included in the first month after the start of chronic hemodialysis, randomized to receive L-carnitine or placebo and should be followed-up during one year.