Hemodialysis in Ibadan: a preliminary report on the first 100 dialysis

Abstract

The experience with the first 100 hemodialysis sessions at the Owena Dialysis Centre of the University College Hospital, Ibadan (UCH) is hereby presented. A total of 9 patients were dialysed during a 7-month period. The femoral vein was the most often utilised vascular access route (53 episodes in 5 patients) while a forearm fistula was functional in only one patient. The dialyzer and blood lines were reused for each patient for a maximum of 5 times. Technical problems encountered were: power failure (12 episodes), ruptured dialyzer (3), water-pipe leakage (4) machine breakdown (2) and heparin pump failure (2). Clinical problems were: failure of fistula access (2), thrombosed femoral veins (2), clotted cannula (3), low arterial pressure (20); nausea and vomiting (2), pruritus (46), muscle cramps (5), Sepsis (8) and hypotension (2). Six patients discontinued treatment after less than 10 dialyses due to financial constraints. The high cost of hemodialysis remains the major setback to its use in the treatment of end-stage renal disease in developing countries; there is the need for acceptable improvisation to reduce the overhead cost so as to make it available to most patients requiring dialysis.