In an attempt to lower the death rate of dialysis patients in the United States, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has announced the development of 114 guidelines for dialysis treatment.
The guidelines are the first comprehensive effort to standardize dialysis practices in the more than 3000 dialysis facilities in the U.S.
According to NKF, the new recommendations mean that most patients will receive a higher dose of dialysis than they now receive. Other patients will require longer periods of dialysis or the use of a more efficient dialyzer.
The guidelines focus on four areas:
The guidelines call for a minimum dose of dialysis for both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients; they indicate a preference for connecting the patient's own arteries and veins to the system rather than artificial implants; and they call for a proper and early evaluation in anemic patients, with a recommended hematocrit of 33-36% as the target range for the treatment of anemia.
The NKF-Dialysis Outcome Quality Initiative was announced October 1, following 2½ years of planning that involved input from more than 3000 health care providers and the analysis of more than 11,000 articles.
"The guidelines give patients important specific information to actively participate in decisions regarding their own health care," said Nathan Levin, MD, who co-chaired the initiative with NKF president Garabed Eknoyan, MD.
Planners hope that the new guidelines will not only increase survival rates but will improve the quality of life for kidney failure patients who are on dialysis. The project was funded by a grant from Amgen. For Your Information: , ;
For Your Information:
National Kidney Foundation
30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016
800-622-9010 and 212-889-2210 (phone); 212-689-9261 (fax)
http://www.kidney.org/
Please be aware that medical advice, diagnoses and physician references cannot be obtained from this site.