Abstract:

The mortality of hemodialysis patients is high. Cardiovascular disease accounts for almost half of it, one of the most common cause is sudden cardiac death. Early detection of abnormalities in cardiac structure and function may be important. Echocardiography provides invaluable information on cardiac morphology and function. However, the limitation of it is that image quality can vary depending on the operators experience and the patients acoustic window. The hemodialysis patients undergo regular hemodynamic changes, that also may affect echocardiographic findings. An understanding of the prognostic significance and interpretation of echocardiographic results in this setting is important for patient care. There are some emerging techniques in echocardiographic imaging that can provide more detailed and accurate information compared with conventional 2dimensional echocardiography. Use of these novel tools may further our understanding of the pathophysiology of cardiac disease in patients undergoing hemodialysis.