Fig. 6. Effect of dialysis regimen on blood pressure, cardiac and other outcomes.

Conventional haemodialysis regimens consist of a four-hour haemodialysis session delivered on alternate days, three times per week. Longer, more frequent dialysis regimens have been trialled, with benefits on blood pressure, left ventricular mass, mortality, hospitalisations, and quality of life. However, the implementation of such ‘intensive’ regimens significantly increases the demand on healthcare providers and may be associated with risks of infection, vascular access complications and loss of residual kidney function.