Echography of left ventricular end-diastolic diameter as a reliable tool for estimating "dry weight" in hemodialysis patients.

Purpose. It is hard to decide an accurate value for the so-called dry weight (DW) in hemodialysis patients with cardiac disease. Our objective is to evaluate the efficacy of echocardiography to decide DW. Patients and methods. 115 patients on hemodialysis were divided into 2 groups: the cardiac disease group and non-cardiac disease group. The relationship between atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVDd) measured by echocardiography was examined. Results. There was a significant positive relationship between ANP and LVDd in the noncardiac disease group, but no significant relationship was noted in the cardiac disease group. The DW was re-evaluated and transferred into more suitable criteria for the patients who often became unconscious with decreased blood pressure during dialysis. When LVDd slightly increased beyond the new criteria of dry weight, unconsciousness was disappeared and blood pressure became stable. Conclusions. Echocardiography examination is very b...