Assessing cognitive dysfunction in the hemodialysis population

Patients with end stage renal diseases (ESRD) requiring hemodialysis treatment experience cognitive impairment due to a variety of risk factors; most of which stem from chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the dialysis process itself. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in cognitive functioning in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients during a standard hemodialysis (HD) session. MHD patients (n=12) were recruited from local dialysis clinics. Cognitive function was measured using a battery of tests from the CogState and Count Battle programs at 0, 1, and 3hrs into a standard HD treatment. In addition, quality of life and depression questionnaires, heart rate, blood pressure, relative blood volume (BV), hematocrit (HCT), and O2 saturation data was collected for comparison. Significant declines were seen in cognitive domains; specifically long term memory measures over the course of a dialysis session (p