A rise in intracellular calcium concentration in erythrocytes has multiple effects on these cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes of calcium content in red blood cells (RBCs) and of echinocyte percentages in uremic patients during hemodialysis sessions. In 30 uremic patients under hemodialysis, the calcium content of RBCs and echinocyte percentages were determined in 3 blood samples collected at 0 min hemodialysis (prehemodialysis), 45 min hemodialysis, and 240 min hemodialysis (end hemodialysis) for a 4 h hemodialysis session. Calcium content of RBCs and echinocytes were also determined in 22 normal subjects (controls). The findings of the present study were that the mean values (+/-SD) of calcium content of RBCs in patients at 0 min hemodialysis, 45 min hemodialysis, and 240 min hemodialysis were 2.00 +/- 1.0, 2.66 +/- 0.87, and 1.62 +/- 0.66 microg/ml respectively and 0.65 +/- 0.07 microg/ml in controls. These values show that the calcium content of RBCs in uremic patients at 0 min hemodialysis, 45 min hemodialysis, and 240 hemodialysis was significantly higher than in controls (p < 0.0001), and that RBC calcium content at 45 min hemodialysis was significantly higher in comparison to that at 0 min hemodialysis (p < 0.001) and to that at 240 min hemodialysis (p < 0.0001), while that at 240 min hemodialysis was significantly lower than at 0 min hemodialysis (p < 0.05). The mean values (+/-SD) of echinocyte percentages in patients at 0 min hemodialysis, 45 min hemodialysis, and 240 hemodialysis were 11.93 +/- 6.18, 17.23 +/- 4.1, and 7.96 +/- 5.67% respectively, and in controls ranged from 0 to 1%. The values in uremic patients show a transient increase of echinocyte percentages at 45 min hemodialysis, which is significant in comparison to that at 0 min hemodialysis (p < 0.001) and to that at 240 min hemodialysis (p < 0.0001). Echinocyte percentages at 240 min hemodialysis were significantly lower to those at 0 min hemodialysis (p < 0.001). Correlation between calcium content of erythrocytes and echinocyte percentages shows a significantly positive relationship at 45 min hemodialysis (r = 0.368, p < 0.05) but no significant relationship at 0 min hemodialysis and 240 min hemodialysis. In conclusion, uremic patients under hemodialysis present with high calcium content in erythrocytes and abnormal erythrocytes like echinocytes. A rapid and transient increase of erythrocyte calcium is also accompanied by transient elevation of echinocytes in the first hour of hemodialysis (45 min hemodialysis), which returns after hemodialysis to lower than prehemodialysis levels.

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in calcium and potassium content in the red blood cells (RBC) of uremic patients during a hemodialysis (HD) session and a 6/hrs CAPD exchange. RBC calcium and potassium were determined in 20 patients on HD in three blood samples collected at 0'-HD (pre-HD), 45'-HD and 240'-HD (end-HD), in 20 patients on CAPD, in two blood samples, collected at 0' time (pre-inflow) and 120', (solution in peritoneal cavity) during a 6/hrs exchange (4 exchanges / 24 h) and in 20 normal subjects. The mean value (+/-SD) of RBC calcium in controls was 15.6+/-3.75 micromol/L, in hemodialysed patients at 0'-HD, 45'-HD and 240'-HD 51.5+/-8.5, 70.4+/-12.5 and 51.1+/-10 micromol/L respectively and CAPD patients at time 0' and 120 of an exchange 53.6+/-23.4 and 70.6+/-9.2 respectively. These values show that RBC calcium in hemodialysed patients is generally significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than in controls. The value at 45'-HD is also significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than at 0' or 240'-HD. In CAPD patients, at 0' and 120' of a 6/hrs exchange, it is significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than in controls, as is the value at 120' (p < 0.001) in comparison to 0'. The mean value (+/-SD) of RBC potassium at the aforementioned time measurements were 95.9+/-3.34, 92.5+/-4.32 and 93.85+/-3.89 mmol/L respectively for patients on HD, 95+/-3.3 and 94.6+/-5.28 mmol/L respectively for patients on CAPD and 99.1+/-3.70 mmol/L in controls. These values show that RBC potassium of hemodialysed patients is significantly lower in comparison to that of controls (0'-HD: p < 0.01, 45'-HD and 240'-HD: p < 0.001); also the value at 45'-HD and 240'-HD is significantly lower (p < 0.001, p < 0.01 respectively) when compared to that at 0'-HD. In patients on CAPD, at 0' time and 120' during 6/hrs exchange, potassium is significant lower (p < 0.001) in comparison to that of controls. In conclusion, uremic patients present high erythrocyte calcium and low potassium with fluctuation during HD-sessions and CAPD 6/hrs exchange.

Background Hemodialysis patients experience a variety of hemodynamic abnormalities that contribute to cardiovascular disease mortality which is the leading cause of death in these patients. Impedance cardiography has been utilized in order to monitor cardiac hemodynamics with lower cost and inconvenience, but it has not been appropriately validated in the hemodialysis population. Aim We repeatedly used impedance cardiography to assess short- (48 hours) and long-term (15 days) reproducibility of cardiac output measurements and we compared baseline impedance cardiography measurements with echocardiographic measurements. Patients and Methods We studied 109 stable hemodialysis patients, aged 59.70 ± 11.97 years being on hemodialysis for 67.59 ± 40.15 months, on a non-dialysis day. Cardiac output was obtained with the BioZ impedance cardiography system (Cardiodynamics, San Diego, Ca, USA). Baseline echocardiography was performed using a Hewlett-Packard Sonos 2500 (Andover, Mass., USA). Results The values of impedance cardiography derived cardiac output were 5.28 ± 0.79, 5.27 ± 0.75 and 5.25 ± 0.74 l/min at baseline (107 patients), 48 hours (107 patients) and 15 days (98 patients) respectively, showing high reproducibility. Bland and Altman analysis estimated that bias at 48 hours and at 15 days were: −0.013 (95% confidence intervals = −0.045 to 0.019) and 0.028, (95% confidence intervals = −0.044 to 0.101), respectively. In addition baseline impedance cardiography derived cardiac output was significantly correlated with the echocardiographic derived cardiac output (r = 0.9, p < 0.0001). Conclusion Impedance cardiography is a simple non invasive technique for cardiac output estimation in hemodialysis patients which has high reproducibility when performed under controlled conditions, and is closely correlated with echocardiographic measurements of cardiac output.

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