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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A large multinational study finds hemodiafiltration (HDF) beats high-flux hemodialysis on survival. Patients on HDF had a 28% lower risk of all-cause mortality, with the biggest gains seen in those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. A separate trial also found that expanded hemodialysis is a viable, equally effective alternative to HDF — giving clinicians more flexibility in personalizing dialysis care.
Dialysis patients may live longer on hemodiafiltration (HDF) than on conventional high-flux hemodialysis (HD), according to a major new study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Using data from nearly 20,000 patients across eight European countries, researchers found that HDF was associated with a 28% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to high-flux HD — and patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) saw the greatest benefit.
Adding more nuance to the picture, a separate randomized trial (MOTheR HDx) presented at the European Renal Association Congress found that expanded hemodialysis — which uses medium cutoff membranes rather than substitution fluid — was noninferior to online HDF in reducing mortality and major cardiovascular events. This is significant because expanded HD works with standard dialysis equipment, making it more accessible in real-world settings where high blood flow rates or ultrapure water infrastructure aren't always available.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These findings collectively signal a shift away from conventional high-flux HD as the gold standard for dialysis. With both HDF and expanded HD showing superior or comparable outcomes, clinicians now have stronger evidence to guide personalized dialysis prescriptions — and researchers are calling for head-to-head trials of these newer modalities to determine the next standard of care.
