Cardiovascular Aspects of Dialysis Treatment : The Importance of Volume Control

Cardiovascular complications are not only responsible for more than half of our patients' mortality, they also represent the bulk of everyday problems in a dialysis unit. Yet, the space allocated to them in the major textbooks covers only 2-8% of their total content. The origins of this book lie in many years of day-to-day care of dialysis patients. It gradually became clear to the author that systematic application of well-known pathophysiological principles could improve patients' conditions beyond expectations. More importantly, it appeared that world literature was mainly concerned with evaluating risk factors and that efforts to improve prognosis were concentrated on urea removal. It is important, therefore, to notice that 'Volume Control', the central issue of this book, is not incorporated into the 'Adequacy' concept. While primarily intended for dialysis doctors, the author sincerely hopes that dialysis nurses, who carry the lion's share of day-to-day responsibility for dialysis patients, will also find this book a useful and practical guide to dialysis treatment. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Normal physiology....Pages 1-7 Terminal renal failure....Pages 8-16 Results of fluid retention....Pages 17-27 Hypertension in dialysis patients....Pages 28-34 Pathophysiology and treatment of hypertension in dialysis patients....Pages 35-48 Dialysis hypotension....Pages 49-65 Heart Disease in Dialysis Patients....Pages 66-73 Special aspects of dialysis-related heart disease....Pages 74-93 Vascular disease....Pages 94-104 Effusions in serous cavities....Pages 105-110 Anemia and the heart....Pages 111-117 Nutritional aspects....Pages 118-121 Peritoneal dialysis....Pages 122-130 Final considerations and future perspectives....Pages 131-135