Noninvasive Risk-Assessment for Hemodialysis Patients

The occurence of hypotensive episodes during dialysis sessions is a persistent problem of hemodialysis treatment. Impairment of autonomic compensatory mechanisms responsible for counteracting dialysis-induced hypovolemia is discussed to be one of the main reasons for hypotensive episodes. Spectral analysis of HRV, a widely accepted method capable of giving a deeper insight into the autonomic control of the cardiovascular system, was applied to whole-dialysis ECG-recordings in order to provide information about the hemodynamic state of dialysis patients during treatment and to assess the risk of hypotensive episodes. First results suggest that HRV-analysis can help to identify dialysis sessions with an increased risk of cardiovascular complications.