Lower Dialysate Temperature and Post-Dialysis Fatigue

Baskent University57 enrolled

Overview

The standard dialysate temperature is usually set at 36.5°C in hemodialysis applications. Since this temperature is close to the patient's body temperature, it is ideal for preventing the patient from experiencing hypothermia while ensuring cardiovascular stability. In the literature, it is seen that changing the dialysate temperature, especially cold dialysis applications, is used in the management of nausea, the effect on vital signs, determining hemodialysis adequacy and common complications, and in the management of symptoms such as hypotension, cardiac stability, vascular stability, fatigue, and muscle cramps. However, no study has been found using cold dialysis in the management of fatigue that develops after dialysis.Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of cold dialysis application on post-dialysis fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis treatment.

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of cold dialysis application on post-dialysis fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis treatment. Research Hypothesis H1: Reduced dialysate temperature may improve post-dialysis fatigue without compromising thermal comfort METHOD Research Design This study was designed as a single group pre-test-post-test experimental design.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Dialysis Related Complication

Interventions

cold dialysisOTHER

Patients who meet the inclusion criteria will receive 3 sessions of cold dialysis treatment by reducing the dialysate temperature from 36.5°C to 36°C. Patients will receive this treatment for 1 week, i.e. 3 dialysis sessions. Each dialysis session will last 4 hours. During each dialysis session, the thermal comfort status of the patients will be evaluated by applying the numeric visual analog scale (NVAS) at the beginning of dialysis, at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th hours of dialysis and at the end of dialysis. In addition, the day after each session, the patients will be called by phone and the Postdialysis Fatigue Scale will be re-administered and their fatigue levels will be evaluated.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients who agreed to participate in the study * Age 18 and over * Having been on hemodialysis for at least 6 months * Having hemodialysis 3 times a week * Having a post-dialysis fatigue score ≥28. Exclusion Criteria: * Having an active infection * Having a body temperature above 37.5°C * Having serious cardiovascular diseases (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, congestive heart failure) * Having a history of acute complications during dialysis * Having a history of severe hypotension * Patients whose dialysis treatment was interrupted

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Post-dialysis fatigue scale

A minimum score of 11 and a maximum score of 55 is obtained from this scale, and an increase in the score indicates an increase in the severity of fatigue.

Time frame: 1 week

Secondary Outcomes

Thermal comfort perception

Patients' thermal comfort perception was assessed using a numeric visual analog scale (NVAS) as described by Wagner et al. The scale ranges from 0 (extreme cold) to 10 (extreme heat), with the midpoint value of 5 indicating thermal neutrality (i.e., optimal thermal comfort). Participants were asked to mark the point on the scale that best reflected their perceived thermal comfort.