Table 1.
Baseline characteristics in the treatment arms
| Characteristics | All Patients (n=704) | High-Flux HD (n=352) | Low-Flux HD (n=352) | Ultrapure Dialysate (n=352) | Standard Dialysate (n=352) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographical and clinical parameters | |||||
| Age (yr) | 58.6±14.2 | 58.5±13.8 | 58.7±14.5 | 59.1±14.3 | 58.2±14.1 |
| Sex (women; %) | 46 | 45 | 47 | 44 | 48 |
| Diabetes (%) | 22.7 | 22.7 | 22.7 | 21.9 | 23.6 |
| CVD history (%) | 22.7 | 23.3 | 22.1 | 22.3 | 23.2 |
| Time on HD (mo) | 42.8 (21.4–73.1) | 43.6 (22.5–73.0) | 42.1 (20.1–74.2) | 43.3 (22.1–72.0) | 42.2 (20.0–75.9) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.1±4.2 | 24.2±4.2 | 24.0±4.2 | 24.0±4.1 | 24.2±4.3 |
| AVF (%) | 81.8 | 82.4 | 81.3 | 82.7 | 81.0 |
| Permanent catheter (%) | 12.8 | 10.9 | 14.7 | 12.7 | 12.9 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 125±16 | 126±16 | 125±16 | 125±16 | 125±16 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 75±9 | 75±9 | 75±9 | 75±8 | 75±9 |
| IDWG (L) | 2.30±0.93 | 2.33±0.92 | 2.27±0.95 | 2.24±0.87 | 2.36±0.99 |
| IDWG (% body wt) | 3.59±1.47 | 3.66±1.54 | 3.52±1.41 | 3.53±1.41 | 3.65±1.53 |
| Laboratory data | |||||
| Urea reduction rate (%) | 75.5±6.8 | 75.6±6.6 | 75.4±7.0 | 75.6±6.6 | 75.5±6.9 |
| eKt/V | 1.41±0.29 | 1.41±0.27 | 1.40±0.31 | 1.40±0.26 | 1.41±0.32 |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 8.4±2.0 | 8.5±2.1 | 8.4±1.9 | 8.4±2.0 | 8.4±2.0 |
| Calcium (mg/dl) | 9.3±0.8 | 9.3±0.8 | 9.2±0.7 | 9.3±0.8 | 9.2±0.8 |
| Phosphate (mg/dl) | 4.2±1.2 | 4.3±1.2 | 4.2±1.1 | 4.2±1.1 | 4.3±1.2 |
| Ca-P product (mg2/dl2) | 39.4±11.5 | 39.9±11.8 | 38.8±11.2 | 39.1±11.3 | 39.7±11.7 |
| Parathormone (pg/ml) | 83.3 (34.1–178.2) | 85.6 (31.9–189.8) | 78.8 (34.8–164.9) | 78.0 (30.6–184.4) | 91.5 (34.9–172.3) |
| Albumin (g/dl) | 3.91±0.32 | 3.92±0.32 | 3.90±0.33 | 3.90±0.31 | 3.91±0.34 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 183±46 | 182±45 | 184±47 | 181±44 | 185±48 |
| Triglyceride (mg/dl) | 142 (100–200) | 138 (90–196) | 146 (107–204) | 135 (96–196) | 147 (102–205) |
| Bicarbonate (mEq/L) | 23.8±3.5 | 23.8±3.5 | 23.8±3.5 | 23.9±3.5 | 23.7±3.5 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 11.2±1.5 | 11.2±1.4 | 11.1±1.5 | 11.2±1.5 | 11.1±1.4 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 39±11 | 39±11 | 39±11 | 39±11 | 39±11 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 110±36 | 110±34 | 110±37 | 110±34 | 111±37 |
| CRP (mg/dl) | 0.70 (0.27–1.59) | 0.65 (0.28–1.66) | 0.71(0.25–1.52) | 0.73 (0.28–1.64) | 0.67 (0.25–1.57) |
| Transferrin (mg/dl) | 169±39 | 170±38 | 168±40 | 167±39 | 171±39 |
| β-2 Microglobulin (mg/L) | 30.4±11.5 | 30.2±12.0 | 30.6±10.9 | 30.2±11.8 | 30.5±11.2 |
| Medication data | |||||
| Vitamin D usage (%) | 10.5 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 9 |
| Vitamin D dose (mcg/wk) | 0.24±0.82 | 0.27±0.82 | 0.21±0.81 | 0.28±0.90 | 0.19±0.72 |
| Phosphate binder dose (elementary Ca; mg/d) | 552±724 | 550±748 | 553±699 | 526±761 | 578±684 |
| Erythropoietin usage (%) | 40 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 41 |
| Erythropoietin dose (IU/wk) | 2162±3134 | 2120±3049 | 2204±3221 | 2196±3198 | 2129±3074 |
| Antihypertensive drug (%) | 21 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 |
P>0.05 between the treatment groups at the time of randomization, and all results were given as mean ± SD, except time on HD, CRP, parathormone, and triglyceride levels, which were not normally distributed and given as median (interquartile range) values. IDWG, interdialytic weight gain.