Table 2.
Characteristics of the study cohort at hemodialysis start by study period
| Characteristic | Pre–Vascular Access Team (2004–2005), n=146 | Early Vascular Access Team (2006–2008), n=252 | Late Vascular Access Team (2009–2011), n=211 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age, median (IQR) | 66 (55–75) | 69 (58–77) | 63 (55–76) |
| Body mass index, median (IQR)a | 26.7 (22.9–33.1) | 26.4 (23.2–31.2) | 26.2 (22.1–30.8) |
| Men, n (%) | 86 (59) | 163 (65) | 126 (60) |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | |||
| Diabetes | 85 (58) | 133 (53) | 112 (53) |
| Vascular diseaseb | 65 (44) | 138 (55) | 99 (47) |
| Congestive heart failure | 26 (18) | 55 (22) | 49 (23) |
| Cancer | 15 (10) | 39 (16) | 30 (14) |
| Characteristics of dialysis start | |||
| Median eGFR (IQR), ml/min per 1.73 m2a | 10 (8–13) | 9 (7–12) | 9 (7–12) |
| Inpatient start, n (%) | 60 (41) | 115 (46) | 109 (52) |
| Intensive care unit start, n (%) | 3 (2) | 21 (8) | 17 (8) |
| Predialysis care received, n (%) | |||
| None | 19 (13) | 27 (11) | 35 (17) |
| <4 mo | 41 (28) | 68 (27) | 42 (20) |
| 4–<12 mo | 38 (26) | 32 (13) | 45 (21) |
| ≥12 mo | 48 (33) | 125 (50) | 89 (42) |
| Timing of first fistula attempt, before (versus after) dialysis start, n (%) | 50 (34) | 87 (35) | 65 (31) |
Over time, there was a significant increase in the proportion of people who started hemodialysis treatment in intensive care units (P=0.03) and of people who received longer predialysis care (P<0.01). IQR, interquartile range.
a
Missing data: body mass index was not available for 31 participants (16, 9, and 6 in the pre-, early, and late periods, respectively); eGFR was not available for 38 participants (30, 7, and 1 in the pre-, early, and late periods, respectively).
b
Vascular diseases include: coronary, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular diseases.