We sometimes think challenges to the Planetary Hegemony Of Conventional Kidney Dialysis (the PHOCK'D challenges) are something new; that it was only recently that nephrologists have suspected that more frequent and longer dialysis is significantly better for someone with CKD5 than less frequent, shorter dialysis.
From its innovate papers section Home Dialysis Central is highlighting this month an abstract of a paper originally published in 1975. Effect of long-term increase in the frequency and/or prolongation of dialysis duration on certain clinical manifestations and results of laboratory investigations in patients with chronic renal failure is by Zbylut Twardowski, MD, PhD. I suppose if he had called his paper Would more dialysis cause people with severe kidney disease to feel better? it would not have been published, but that's the question he asks. His conclusion?
In conclusion, these astounding improvements in clinical status and laboratory parameters after increased HD frequency suggests that, in the near future, a basic form of therapy in patients with chronic renal failure will be daily HD.
Near is a relative term.
Dr. Twardowski is brilliant man. I did over night dialysis in the 1960s and 70s, so always knew that longer dialysis was better. I also listened to a lecture by Dr. Twardowski on "Sodium is a Toxin". I have a great respect for him......and he got a great smile. ;-)
Posted by: Nancy H. Spaeth | May 23, 2008 at 06:52 PM
Thanks for stopping by the blog Nancy - you are my first commenter who actually went through the selection process back in the mid-'60s -what Life Magazine called the "Life and Death Committee".
Cheers
Posted by: Bill Peckham | May 23, 2008 at 11:01 PM