HBS treatment is effective in lowering hypovolaemia-associated morbidity compared with BD treatment; this could be related to a greater ECV stability. Furthermore, HBS is a safe treatment in the medium-term because these results are not achieved through potentially harmful changes in blood pressure, body weight, and serum sodium concentration.

This study shows a very low rate of AVF thrombosis per patient-year at risk and a high actuarial survival of autogenous RC wrist AVFs, particularly of those having a blood flow rate >700 ml/min. Thus, a vascular access blood flow rate <700 ml/min appears to be a reliable cut-off point at which to start a closer monitoring of this parameter-which may lead to further investigations and possibly interventions relevant to the function of the AVFs.

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Our study did not show any improvement of anaemia when treating a highly selected patient group, in the absence of any Epo therapy, with AFB compared with standard BD. Even though these conclusions cannot be extended in toto to the entire dialysis population, in which there is a large proportion of Epo-treated patients with Hb levels around 11 g/dl, we may nevertheless conclude that when patients are well selected, adequately dialysed, and not iron- and/or vitamin-depleted, the effect of a haemodiafiltration technique with a high-flux biocompatible membrane is less than might be expected from the results of uncontrolled studies.