Comparison of haemoglobin levels and blood-transfusion requirements in patients on haemodialysis and on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Comparison of haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (HCT) levels and blood-transfusion requirements in two groups of patients with end-stage renal disease, one on haemodialysis and the other on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), revealed that patients on CAPD had significantly higher Hb and HCT levels than their counterparts on haemodialysis. Blood-transfusion requirements were significantly lower in the CAPD group. There was no correlation between Hb levels and serum creatinine or albumin levels. Two anephric patients on haemodialysis had relatively high transfusion requirements, and this may have had an influence on the results. An analysis of 10 individual patients who were transferred from haemodialysis to CAPD revealed that half of them experienced a significant increase in Hb and HCT levels after having been on CAPD for 12 months. The Hb/HCT response of individual patients was extremely variable, and did not correlate with the number of blood transfusions. There was no significant change in transfusion requirements during the period on CAPD.