Ambulatory blood pressure changes with lung ultrasound-guided dry-weight reduction in hypertensive hemodialysis patients: 12-month results of a randomized controlled trial

Resistant hypertension in dialysis

Hypertension is the most common finding in chronic kidney disease patients, with prevalence ranging from 60% to 90% depending on the stage and etiology of the disease. It is also a significant independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, progression to end-stage kidney disease and mortality. According to the current guidelines, resistant hypertension is defined in the general population as uncontrolled blood pressure on three or more antihypertensive drugs in adequate doses or when patients are on four or more antihypertensive drug categories irrespective of the blood pressure control, providing that antihypertensive treatment included diuretics. The currently established definitions of resistant hypertension are not directly applicable to the end-stage kidney disease setting. The diagnosis of true resistant hypertension requires confirmation of adherence to therapy and confirmation of uncontrolled blood pressure values by ambulatory blood pressure measurement or home blood pressure measurement. In addition, the term "apparent treatment-resistant hypertension," defined as an uncontrolled blood pressure on three or more antihypertensive medication classes, or use of four or more medications regardless of blood pressure level was introduced. In this comprehensive review we focused on the definitions of hypertension, and therapeutic targets in patients on renal replacement therapy, including the limitations and biases. We discussed the issue of pathophysiology and assessment of blood pressure in the dialyzed population, management of resistant hypertension as well as available data on prevalence of apparent treatment-resistant hypertension in end-stage kidney disease. To conclude, larger sample-size and even higher quality studies about drug adherence should be conducted in the population of patients with the end-stage kidney disease who are on dialysis. It also should be determined how and when blood pressure should be measured in the group of dialysis patients. Additionally, it should be stated what the target blood pressure values in this group of patients really are. The definition of resistant hypertension in this group should be revisited, and its relationship to both subclinical and clinical endpoints should be established.

Lung ultrasound guided dry-weight reduction and echocardiographic changes in clinically euvolemic hypertensive hemodialysis patients: 12-month results of a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and dysfunction are highly prevalent in hemodialysis patients and independently associated with adverse outcomes. This study examines the long-term effects of dry-weight reduction with a standardized lung-ultrasound (US)-guided strategy on echocardiographic indexes of left ventricular (LV) mass and function in hemodialysis patients.

METHODS

Seventy-one clinically euvolemic, hemodialysis patients with hypertension were randomized to dry-weight reduction guided by pre-hemodialysis lung US (n=35) or standard-of-care treatment (n=36) and were followed-up for 12 months. Two-dimensional and tissue-Doppler echocardiography (TDI) were performed at baseline and study-end.

RESULTS

During follow-up, dry-weight reduction took place in more patients in the active than in the control arm of the trial (71.4% vs 22.2%; p<0.001). Left atrial (LA) surface (-1.37±4.50 vs 1.28±5.00 cm²; P=0.006) and LA volume index (-3.22±11.82 vs 4.76±12.83 ml/m²; P=0.009) decreased in the active and increased in the control group. LV end-diastolic volume (-0.94±11.45 vs 6.58±13.92 ml/m²; P=0.015) decreased only in the active group. LV mass index was unchanged in the active (134.21±44.75 vs 133.57±45.51; P=0.844) and marginally increased in the control group (134.21±40.96 vs 143.77±50.04 g/m²; P=0.089). LV E/e' wave ratio was unchanged in the active (12.45±4.69 vs 12.56±4.89; P=0.521) and increased in the usual-care group (10.91±4.97 vs12.36±6.43; P=0.003). LV systolic function did not differ among the two study arms across the trial.

CONCLUSIONS

Over 12 months, lung-US-guided dry-weight reduction is associated with reverse LV and LA remodeling, myocardial hypertrophy regression and improved LV diastolic filling properties.