Pulmonary Function and Arterial Blood Gas in the Long-Term Hemodialysis Patient

Very little is known about pulmonary mechanical function and blood gas exchange in uremic patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis over a prolonged period. Because of the presence at our institution of a unique group of maintenance hemodialysis patients who had survived for a decade or longer, we initiated a study to assess their pulmonary function. We also investigated pulmonary function before and after dialysis in patients who had been treated by dialysis for a shorter period.1–4“ The purpose of our study was to determine whether or not pulmonary abnormalities develop in hemodialysis patients after 8 to 11 years, as compared with the normal population. We attempted to ascertain whether these abnormalities, if present, improve acutely after each dialysis.