| [ Summary ] |
According to the report 'An Overview of Regular Dialysis Treatment in Japan', about 90 ％ of all maintenance hemodialysis patients in Japan are treated with the standard method (3×4 hours / week). However, it is said that this method (3×4 hours / week) is not adequate to avoid complications. Moreover, most patients suffer from various symptoms of uremia. We do not consider the widespread use of many medications to be the only appropriate treatment for symptoms such as hypotension, shock and muscle cramps.
Instead of using medications, we suggest first extending dialysis sessions to 4.5 hours or more. We check the patients' symptoms and other data again and calculate the optimal dialysis time in order to avoid subjective and objective symptoms of uremia. We also explain the advantages of extended dialysis sessions and slow ultrafiltration. However, we believe that the patients' decision should determine whether time of dialysis is extend or not. |