The general objective assigned to the EUropean DIALlysis (EUDIAL) Working Group by the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) was to enhance the quality of dialysis therapies in Europe in the broadest possible sense. Given the increasing interest in convective therapies, the Working Group has started by focusing on haemodiafiltration (HDF) therapies. Several reports suggest that those therapies potentially improve the outcomes for end-stage renal disease patients. Europe is the leader in the field, having introduced the concept of ultra-purity for water and dialysis fluids and with notified bodies of the European Community having certified water treatment systems and online HDF machines. The prevalence of online HDF-treated patients is steadily increasing in Europe, averaging 15%. A EUDIAL consensus conference was held in Paris on 13 October 2011 to revisit terminology, safety and efficacy of online HDF. This is the first report of the expert group arising from that conference.

Since 1977, our patients have undergone chronic HD with ultra-pure dialysate (UPD), defined as having endotoxin levels below 0.008 ng/ml and less than 1 bacteria/ml of dialysate. We evaluated the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in three groups of patients. Group I (GI), 84 patients, dialysed for 6.1 +/- 3.2 years (mean +/- SD) with UPD only; Group II (GII), 39 patients, first dialysed for 3.7 +/- 2.3 years with non-UPD and afterwards for 8.4 +/- 2.1 years with UPD; Group III (G III), 103 patients treated for 6 +/- 5.9 years exclusively with non-UPD. All patients were dialysed with cuprophan or cellulose acetate membranes. Results, expressed by Kaplan-Meier actuarial survival curves as the percent of patients without CTS, show that CTS occurred significantly less in GI than in GIII. This may be due to less stimulation of monocytes resulting from the absence of bacteria, endotoxins and pyrogens in the dialysate, which would reduce the stimulation of cytokines release, interleukin 1 and 6, and tumor necrosis factor, known to stimulate beta 2 microglobulin synthesis.

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Dialysate sodium (Na+) modeling in hemodialysis requires precise individual adjustment and control of Na+ dialysate concentration. In practice, variations of Na+ concentration can be important and can affect the accuracy of Na+ modeling. Variations relate mainly to the low accuracy of dialysate concentrate (+/- 2.5% for Na+ is tolerated by the European Pharmacopeias), purity of hemodialysis water (2.17 mEq/L is the limit fixed by the French Pharmacopeia), and precision of the proportioning delivery systems for hemodialysis bath preparation. To minimize these difficulties, this study focused on the following points: (a) Na+ concentration is maintained constant (133 mEq/L) in the dialysate manufacturing unit. In 1982, 268 dialysate preparations (177,000 L) were made, and the mean value for Na+ concentration was 133.1 +/- 0.3 mEq/L with a probability of 99.9%. (b) The purity of the water, especially for Na+, Ca2+, and K+, is controlled for two times a day. (c) The accuracy of the proportioning delivery system is controlled by two conductivity monitors, and the variation of Na+ concentration around 133 mEq/L is smaller than +/- 0.5%. As the composition of the basic dialyzing fluid remains constant before adaptation, conductivity values reflect exactly Na+ variation, and are not affected by variations of other elements (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) that may occur when modification of the dialysate is used for Na+ modeling. (d) Na+ dialysate concentration is adapted for each patient's need by a bedside monitor with sterile Na+ solutions (5 mol/L).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)