Effect of intestinal dialysis using polyethylene glycol on fluid balance and thirst in maintenance hemodialysis patients: A comparative study.

High inter-dialytic weight gains (IDWG) and Hyperkalemia have been associated with adverse outcomes like poor quality of life and high mortality. Thirst remains an unsolved problem in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) based intestinal dialysis on IDWG, thirst and biochemical parameters. A prospective interventional evidenced based paired comparative single center study was conducted. Thirty-five anuric patients on weekly thrice HD were studied for four consecutive dialysis weeks. Before the mid-week dialysis day of week 3, Patients received 2 L PEG solution. The primary end points were change in mean relative IDWG and change in mean subjective thirst feeling as measured on visual analog scale (VAS) with secondary endpoints being change in small molecule clearance. There was significant reduction in IDWG after the therapy from 3 ± 0.81 L to 2.35 ± 0.72 (P = 0.002). The therapy also reduced the % IDWG BW from 5.1 ± 1.7% to 4.15 ± 1.6% (P = 0.017). No change in thirst was seen, that is, 6.16 ± 0.66, 6.14 ± 0.64, and 6.16 ± 0.65 (P = 0.986). A multivariate linear regression did not reveal any effect of age, gender, and co-morbidities on the reduction of IDWG and thirst. The therapy achieved a significant urea, creatinine, and potassium reduction of 8.23%, 8.13%, and 8.33% respectively with an increase in sodium levels by 0.86%. This modality reduced the IDWG, was found to be a potent treatment modality for hyperkalemia but did not affect thirst sensation even after consumption of 2 L solution.