Clinical trial examines optimal dialysis temperature

Over the course of four years, the research team examined more than 15,000 patients across 84 hemodialysis centres in Ontario. (Supplied photo) - Findings from a new trial suggest that lowering dialysis temperatures does not lead to improved patient outcomes, despite previous studies suggesting otherwise. Published in the Lancet , the four-year trial of more than 15,000 patients was done in 84 of 97 hemodialysis centres in Ontario, and, in terms of the number of patients, it was the largest hemodialysis trial ever published worldwide. The study was done through the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Lawson Health Research Institute and ICES Western. The standard temperature for dialysis - a life-sustaining treatment for patients with kidney failure - is approximately 36. C, which is similar to a human's body temperature. But over the past several years, there have been small studies suggesting that cooler dialysis temperatures could reduce the risk of cardiovascular-related deaths and hospitalizations and better maintain blood pressure during hemodialysis treatments.