Benefits of a Renal Rehabilitation Program Adapted to Uremic Patients on Daily Hemodialysis at Low Dialysate Flow Rate.

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Low flow rate hemodialysis: Low flow rate hemodialysis five times per week

Multidisciplinary rehabilitation program: Tailor made rehabilitation program

Study summary

The concept of renal rehabilitation has become increasingly important with the increasing age of patients with severe or even terminal chronic kidney disease (CKD). It combines physical exercise and nutritional monitoring programs for patients with terminal CKD who are most often treated with conventional hemodialysis (HD) at a rate of 3 sessions of 4 hours per week.

Sarcopenia is a very common phenomenon in patients with CKD. The prevalence found in recent meta-analyses varies between 25.6 and 28.5% in patients treated with dialysis. It is even higher in patients treated with HD than in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD). Younger and more active patients will more often choose PD. The conventional HD modality preserves residual renal function less well, which is important for better elimination of uremic toxins bound to plasma proteins. Conventional HD requires a higher immobilization time and causes more post-dialysis symptoms, leaving less time for the patient to be physically active.

The phenomenon of sarcopenia is not insignificant. It is associated in dialysis patients with a higher mortality rate (risk x 1.8) and a higher incidence of cardiovascular events (risk x 3.8). The association with higher mortality is well demonstrated for the 2 main components of sarcopenia, namely reduced muscle mass and reduced muscle strength. Sarcopenia also increases the risk of falls and fractures, it decreases the physical performance of patients and their ability to perform activities of daily living. The quality of life of patients is reduced and the probability of social placement is high.

The phenomena of sarcopenia and physical deconditioning are even more problematic in patients in HD after an acute medical problem. The need for rehabilitation is even higher. "Classical" HD treatment can be a burden for these patients, leaving no room for integrating a complete rehabilitation program.

Daily low dialysate flow rate hemodialysis (LDF) is a type of hemodialysis in which patients benefit from more frequent but shorter and hemodynamically better tolerated HD sessions. This new technique potentially presents certain advantages over conventional HD, particularly at the cardiovascular level: better blood pressure control and better reduction of left ventricular hypertrophy. LDF also allows better control of hyperphosphatemia with a reduced need for phosphorus binders. Thanks to more frequent dialysis (5 to 6 sessions per week), inter-dialytic weight gain is often less significant, allowing less aggressive ultrafiltration, with better hemodynamic tolerance, and better post-dialysis recovery. In this perspective, this study aims to examine the interest of integrating HDQ dialysis into a renal rehabilitation program in patients with terminal CKD whose dialysis must continue after an acute event requiring hospitalization. The investigators want to study whether this technique allows the implementation of a more effective rehabilitation program, while maintaining the same dialysis efficiency as with the conventional HD technique. To the investigator's knowledge, no study concerning patients under HDQ has been conducted during their renal rehabilitation phase.

The objectives of the current study are:

* To study the interest of integrating HDQ dialysis into a renal rehabilitation program in patients with terminal CKD.
* To study the efficacy and tolerance of HDQ dialysis and the rehabilitation program in these patients.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Hand grip test — At admission in the rehabilitation ward
  Grip strength (measured by means of a dynamometer) is recommended as a good simple measure of muscle strength. Low grip strength is a powerful predictor of poor patient outcomes such as longer hospital stays, increased functional limitations, poor health-related quality of life and death. Cut-off points for men \<27 kg Cut-off points for women \<16 kg
• Hand grip test — At discharge from the rehabilitation ward, in general up to 24 weeks after admission
  Grip strength (measured by means of a dynamometer) is recommended as a good simple measure of muscle strength. Low grip strength is a powerful predictor of poor patient outcomes such as longer hospital stays, increased functional limitations, poor health-related quality of life and death. Cut-off points for men \<27 kg Cut-off points for women \<16 kg

Trial sites (1)

More Brugmann University Hospital trials in Belgium

Other trials for the same condition