NONINVASIVE MONITORING OF HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS DURING HEMODIALYSIS

We studied in 13 hemodialysis patients intradialytic variations of blo od volume (BV) and cardiac output, by means of non-invasive methods. W e found a weak correlation, r 0.2 or less, between BV variations and i ntradialysis blood pressure variations. The sensitivity of the former in describing the variations of the latter was only 32%. During the 30 min preceeding the hypothensive crisis the percent BV variations did not show any predictive trend On the contrary, refilling increased as blood pressure dropped and a weak inverse relation (r -0.35) was found between these two parameters. Unstable patients had predialytic blood volume values significantly lower than stable ones and comparable to healthy subjects. On the contrary, the correlation between percent var iations of cardiac output index and MAP was 0.68 with a sensitivity an d specificity of 90% and 59%, respectively. Unfortunately these promis ing results were obtained only with an estimate of cardiac output obta ined by echocardiography and not by transthoracic impedance cardiograp hy, which is much more feasible than the former as on-line monitoring of cardiac output On-line monitoring of hemodynamic parameters is an a ppealing but still unsolved task.