Echocardiography Evaluation and Exercise in Hemodialysis Patients

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Hospitalizations of dialysis patients happen frequently and about one-third are from CVD. The annual cardiovascular mortality in dialysis patients is significantly higher than in the general population and about half of the deaths in dialysis patients are assigned to CVD. Different methods are used for cardiovascular evaluation in patients with CKD. Echocardiography, as a noninvasive and available technique, is the most useful imaging modality for a cardiac assessment. Echocardiographic measures of left ventricular function and structure abnormality as well as left atrial size have been reported to predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CKD.