Dynamic Echocardiographic Assessments Reveal Septal E/e’ Ratio as Independent Predictor of Intradialytic Hypotension in Maintenance for Hemodialysis Patients with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Background: Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is a frequent and grave complication of hemodialysis (HD). However, the dynamic hemodynamic changes and cardiac performances during each dialytic session have been rarely explored in patients having IDH. Methods: Seventy-six HD patients (IDH = 40, controls = 36) were enrolled. Echocardiography examinations were performed in all patients at the pre-HD, during-HD and post-HD phases of a single HD session. A two-way analysis of variance was applied to compare differences of echocardiographic parameters between IDH and controls over time. The risk association was estimated by using a logistic regression analysis. Results: The IDH patients had a higher ejection fraction during HD followed by a greater reduction at the post-HD phase than the controls. Significant decreases in septal ratios of transmitral flow velocity to annular velocity (E/e’) over times were detected between IDH patients and controls after adjusting for gender, age and ultrafiltration (p = 0.016). A lower septal E/e’ ratio was independently associated with IDH (OR = 0.040; 95% CI = 0.003–0.606; p = 0.02). In contrast, significant systolic and diastolic dysfunctions over time were found in diabetic IDH compared to non-diabetic counterparts. Conclusion: The septal E/e’ ratio was a significant predictor for IDH.