Aiming for the optimal bicarbonate prescription for maintenance hemodialysis therapy in end‐stage renal disease

Introduction: Acidemia and alkalemia, as a result of gradual depletion of the body's buffers followed by rapid repletion during hemodialysis (HD), are linked to adverse consequences. We examined the acid‐base status with dialysis bath of higher bicarbonate (HC03−) concentration or standard HC03− bath plus oral HC03− supplementation. Methods: A total of 60 stable HD patients (pts) were evaluated according to their pre‐dialysis acid‐base status both before the first and the second session of the week dialyzed against standard base dialysate of 35 mmol/L. Those who presented predialysis HC03−