US Pharm. 2011;36(10):8.
Minneapolis, MN—A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health has found that three-times-a-week dialysis may not be enough. Researchers at the University of Minnesota analyzed medical records of 32,000 people who had in-center dialysis three times a week from 2005 through 2008. They found a 22% higher risk of death on the day after a long break compared with other days of the week, and hospital admissions for stroke and heart-related problems more than doubled on the day after a long break. The three-day dialysis schedule (usually Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays or Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) has been used since the mid-1960s and gives patients a weekend break from treatment.To comment on this article, contact rdavidson@uspharmacist.com.
