Hospitalization patterns in HD patients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A comprehensive cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The rate of hospitalization represents a morbidity indicator in HD patients. The study aimed to evaluate hospitalization patterns in a large HD cohort. METHODS: All DaVita-KSA HD patients from October 2014 to December 2019 were included. Demographical and clinical characteristics and hospitalization data were recorded. Less than 24 h admission was excluded. Overall and cause-specific hospitalization rates were calculated. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 3982 patients with a mean age of 52.5 ± 16.8 years, 2667 hospitalizations were recorded in 34.1% of the patients and 45.6% had repeated admissions. Infectious causes accounted for 26.6% of all recorded causes vs. 15.6% for cardiovascular complications. The median hospital stay length was 11 days, while the overall annual hospitalization rate of 34.9% and the annual duration of 3.7 days per patient. Hospitalized patients had a higher risk of mortality (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Infectious complications were the leading cause of hospitalization and had the longest hospital stay.

Therapeutic efficacy of a biosimilar epoetin alfa in hemodialysis patients.

Anemia is a frequent complication in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, human recombinant erythropoietin (rHu-EPO) has revolutionized the management of anemia in chronically dialyzed patients. Epomax ® is a new rHu-EPO alfa manufactured in Tunisia (Medis Laboratories). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of Epomax ® in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients in a phase-III, multicenter, clinical trial. Fiftythree HD patients (mean age 47.7 ± 13 years) who received a stable dose of rHu-EPO (Hemax ® , a rHu-EPO alfa manufactured by Biosidus Laboratories) subcutaneously were switched to Epomax ® via the same route of administration. At baseline, the mean systolic pressure was 132 ± 18 mm Hg and the mean diastolic pressure was 79 ± 8 mm Hg. The mean blood hemoglobin was 10.2 g/dL and the median ferritin level was 667 ng/mL. After a follow-up of 43 days, the mean blood hemoglobin was 10.5 g/dL under the effect of Epomax ® . There was no significant difference in the mean hemoglobin levels between the treatments with both drugs. Few adverse events were reported during the study. We conclude that Epomax ® was effective at maintaining the hemoglobin levels at target concentrations and was well tolerated in HD patients.