Why does three times per week hemodialysis provide inadequate dialysis for children?

ABSTRACT

The duration of chronic conventional dialysis is a risk factor in children, both in terms of growth retardation and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therefore, we need to develop alternative strategies, such as preemptive kidney transplantation and/or more intensive dialysis prescription. Indeed, conventional hemodialysis could be improved in all children by the use of high permeable membrane and ultrapure dialysis fluids (having very low endotoxin levels); by the addition of a convective dialysis dose to the urea diffusion dialysis dose (Kt/Vurea), i.e., hemodiafiltration; moreover, by the preservation of cardiovascular morphology and function (optimized blood pressure control); and also by the prescription of more frequent/longer dialysis sessions.