Bioelectrical impedance analysis in dialysis patients.

Identification of malnutrition is imperative in chronic dialysis patients. Bioelectrical impedance (BIA) is a noninvasive method to measure body composition and estimate total body water (TBW), lean body mass (LBM) and body cell mass (BCM). Studies suggest BIA has good reliability as compared to other accepted methods of body composition analysis. Preliminary data also suggest that BIA-derived parameters (reactance and phase angle) predict clinical outcome in chronic hemodialysis patients. Overall, BIA is a promising nutritional assessment tool to monitor health status, long-term follow-up, tailor nutrition support, and detect early subtle losses of LBM in chronic dialysis patients.