Daily Hemodialysis and the Outcome of Acute Renal Failure

Intermittent hemodialysis is widely used as renal-replacement therapy in patients with acute renal failure, but an adequate dose has not been defined. We performed a prospective study to determine the effect of daily intermittent hemodialysis, as compared with conventional (alternate-day) intermittent hemodialysis, on survival among patients with acute renal failure.

A total of 160 patients with acute renal failure were assigned to receive daily or conventional intermittent hemodialysis. Survival was the primary end point of the study. The duration of acute renal failure and the frequency of therapy-related complications were secondary end points.