Hemodialysis-induced left ventricular dysfunction: Identification of prevalence, triggers, and prognostic impact

Hemodynamic instability is one of the most common complications of hemodialysis. The studies described in this thesis show that the current conventional hemodialysis procedure has acute adverse effects on left ventricular function. About a quarter of the studied dialysis patients developed regional wall motion abnormalities of the left ventricle during hemodialysis. The development of this hemodialysis-induced regional left ventricular dysfunction was associated with higher mortality and higher incidence of cardiac events. Patients that developed regional left ventricular dysfunction during hemodialysis had a higher blood concentration of various inflammatory markers. Future research should investigate the exact role of increased inflammatory markers and whether it is possible to prevent the occurrence of left ventricular dysfunction during hemodialysis.