Abstract

Introduction: In maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients, low central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2 ) and small decline in relative blood volume (RBV) have been associated with adverse outcomes. Here we explore the joint association between ScvO2 and RBV change in relation to all-cause mortality.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in maintenance HD patients with central venous catheters as vascular access. During a 6-month baseline period, Crit-Line (Fresenius Medical Care, Waltham, MA) was used to measure continuously intradialytic ScvO2 and hematocrit-based RBV. We defined four groups per median change of RBV and median ScvO2 . Patients with ScvO2 above median and RBV change below median were defined as reference. Follow-up period was 3 years. We constructed Cox proportional hazards model with adjustment for age, diabetes, and dialysis vintage to assess the association between ScvO2 and RBV and all-cause mortality during follow-up.

Findings: Baseline comprised 5231 dialysis sessions in 216 patients. The median RBV change was -5.5% and median ScvO2 was 58.8%. During follow-up, 44 patients (20.4%) died. In the adjusted model, all-cause mortality was highest in patients with ScvO2 below median and RBV change above median (HR 6.32; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37-29.06), followed by patients with ScvO2 below median and RBV change below median (HR 5.04; 95% CI 1.14-22.35), and ScvO2 above median and RBV change above median (HR 4.52; 95% CI 0.95-21.36).

Discussion: Concurrent combined monitoring of intradialytic ScvO2 and RBV change may provide additional insights into a patient's circulatory status. Patients with low ScvO2 and small changes in RBV may represent a specifically vulnerable group of patients at particularly high risk for adverse outcomes, possibly related to poor cardiac reserve and fluid overload.

Keywords: central venous oxygen saturation; hemodialysis; patient outcomes; relative blood volume; ultrafiltration rate.

© 2023 The Authors. Hemodialysis International published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Hemodialysis.