Table 1.
Patient's characteristics.
| Characteristics (N = 250) | n | % |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 125 | 50.0 |
| Age (Years), mean ± SD | 59.6 | ±15.4 |
| Underlying diseases | ||
| At least one | 246 | 98.4 |
| Hypertension | 217 | 86.8 |
| Diabetes | 149 | 59.6 |
| Liver diseases | 29 | 11.6 |
| Systematic lupus erythematous | 9 | 3.6 |
| Hemophilia | 0 | 0 |
| Current medication | ||
| Warfarin | 0 | 0 |
| Intravenous unfractionated heparin (UFH) | 5 | 2.0 |
| Antiplatelet (Salicylate and clopidogrel) | 80 | 32.0 |
| Laboratory investigations | ||
| Blood Urea Nitrogen (mg/dL), median (IQR) | 60 | (40–87) |
| Creatinine (mg/dL), median (IQR) | 7.7 | (5.2–10.7) |
| Hemoglobin (gm/dL), mean ± SD | 8.7 | ±1.6 |
| Hematocrit (%), mean ± SD | 26.1 | ±4.8 |
| Platelet count (*103 cells/mm3), median (IQR) | 203.5 | (145.0–276.0) |
| Types of central venous dialysis catheter (CVC) | ||
| Non-tunneled, non-cuffed catheter | 149 | 59.6 |
| Tunneled, cuffed catheter | 101 | 40.4 |
| CVC site | ||
| Arterial catheter | 101 | 40.4 |
| Venous catheter | 149 | 59.6 |
| CVC usage (days), median (IQR) | 9 | (3–203) |
| Locking agent | ||
| Heparin | 207 | 82.8 |
| Citrate | 43 | 17.2 |
| Locking agent volume (ml), mean ± SD | 1.5 | ±0.3 |
| Previous anticoagulant used during hemodialysis | ||
| No | 149 | 59.6 |
| Heparin | 93 | 37.2 |
| Low molecular weight heparin | 8 | 3.2 |
Abbreviation: IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation.