Continuous registration of blood oxygen tension during hemodialysis.

Continuous monitoring of blood oxygen tension was carried out during 45 hemodialyses sessions. The oxygen tension curves displayed different appearances. Some curves presented with a periodicity like sinus curves (type 1), while others (type 2) fluctuated with other appearances, or displayed straight lines. Blood pressure variations during dialysis were significantly greater during dialyses displaying type 1 curves than during those displaying type 2 curves (p values < 0.02). Due to a greater descend of S-urea during dialyses with type 1 curves than during dialyses with type 2 curves (p < 0.05) it is hypothesized, that the intensity of the dialysis treatment could be of some importance to the observed fluctuations in oxygen tension.