Night-time Hemodialysis Reduces Mortality by 80 Percent

In a study focused on the influence of overnight dialysis, Turkish researchers analyzed 224 cases of patients who underwent this procedure for about a year. They learned that their survival rates were about 80 percent higher than that of patients undergoing regular dialysis, for 4 hours a day, three days per week. Those in the test group benefited from the procedure while sleeping, over an 8-hour period.
 

They reported increased appetite and overall quality of life, as well as better cognitive functions, in that they could concentrate better and be more productive in the workplace. "After an adaptation period of a month, all patients slept during the night without any complaint," said Ercan Ok, MD, at the Ege University in Izmir, Turkey.
 

Overnight dialysis led to improvements in a wide range of outcomes. "The hospitalization rate during follow-up was one-fourth of that observed in patients treated with four-hour conventional hemodialysis. Most importantly, our results confirmed that longer dialysis produces significantly better patient outcomes, with a 78 percent reduction in mortality rate," Ok went on to explain.
 

Another positive aspect of night-time dialysis was the significant reduction in drug amounts, which patients undergoing daily dialysis require. Blood pressure medication was reduced by about two thirds, and so were the risks of people losing blood pressure while under dialysis. This is a common problem in the daily version of the procedure, which seems to disappear if it's done during the night.
 

"We expect that these data would be convincing to the whole of society – including physicians, patients, health authorities, and social security institutions – for the necessity of longer hemodialysis in order to improve high mortality and morbidity," concluded Ok. However, there are a few drawbacks to this new discovery, including the fact that the two groups varied significantly in age, and that the follow-up period was limited.