OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the hemodialysis adequacy of dialyzer reuse in pediatric patients undergoing maintenance HD. Specifically, the study aims to determine the median urea reduction ratio (URR) and single pool Kt/V (sp Kt/V) in relation to number of dialyzer reuse, as well as the percentage of patients receiving adequate hemodialysis for each subsequent dialyzer reuse based on the median URR and sp Kt/V. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 17 CKD patients who used 25 dialyzer samples were included in the study. Blood samples for determination of pre- and post-HD blood urea nitrogen were extracted from the hemodialysis access (i.e. central venous access, arteriovenous fistula) prior to initiation and after termination of HD treatment. Additional data such as HD duration (in hours), ultrafiltration volume (in liters), and post-dialysis weight were also noted for the computation of hemodialysis adequacy based on URR and sp Kt/V. RESULTS: There was a marked reduction in adequacy rate based on URR observed at 4th use (78.9%) which further declined until 50% adequacy rate only at 10th use. Moreover, there was a marked reduction in the median URR observed at 4 th use (69.79) which further declined until a median URR of 65.08 at 10th use. There was also a marked reduction in adequacy rate based on sp Kt/V at 4th use (78.9%) which further declined until 50% adequacy rate only at 10th use. In addition, there was a marked reduction in median sp Kt/V observed at 4th use (1.37) which further declined until a median sp Kt/V of 1.30 at 10th use. CONCLUSION Among pediatric patients on HD, the adequacy rates based on URR and sp Kt/V both showed a decline over multiple uses of the dialyzer, particularly after 3rd use and with occasional fluctuations between 6th to 7th use. These findings suggest the need for closer monitoring and potential adjustments to improve dialysis efficiency and patient outcomes. Further studies are needed to explore the factors contributing to the decline in adequacy rates over multiple uses of the dialyzer in this patient population.
hemodialysis ; hemodialysis adequacy ; dialyzer reuse