The target weight measure was calculated by dividing the total number of facility patients with an average post-dialysis weight ≥ 1 kg above or below target weight by the total number of facility patients meeting measure selection criteria on a monthly basis.

A 3-hour dialysis would mean removing 5 litres (= 5000 mL) in 3 hours = 1,666 ml/hour = 1666 ÷ 100 kg or 16.6 mL/Kg/hr. That would do irreparable damage to the heart! If the same patient had 4 hours of dialysis: 5000 mL to remove ÷ 4 hrs ÷ 100 kg target weight —> 12.5 mL/Kg/hr.

In most cases, dry weight is an estimate determined by your doctor, based on his or her experience and your input. Your doctor will prescribe your dry weight based on your weight when you have: normal blood pressure. the absence of edema or swelling.

Clinical experience suggests that the actual edema-free body weight may be used effectively for nutritional assessment and nutritional prescription when the BWef is between 95% and 115% of the SBW as determined from the median body weights obtained from the NHANES II data.

Ultrafiltration is the removal of fluid from a patient and is one of the functions of the kidneys that dialysis treatment replaces. Ultrafiltration occurs when fluid passes across a semipermeable membrane (a membrane that allows some substances to pass through but not others) due to a driving pressure.

Edema scale To determine the extent of the pitting edema, your doctor will push on your skin, measure the depth of the indention, and record how long it takes for your skin to rebound back to its original position. They will then grade it on a scale from 1-4.

Standard Body Weight, NHANES II (SBW as per KDOQI Nutrition Practice Guidelines) describes the median body weight of average Americans from 1976 to 1980 for height, age, sex and frame size.

Kt/V, like URR, is a measure of dialysis adequacy. K = clearance—the amount of urea your dialyzer can remove (liters/minute) t = time—the duration of treatment (minutes) V = volume—the amount of body fluid (liters)

Example: If the dialyzer’s clearance is 300 mL/min and a dialysis session lasts for 180 minutes (3 hours), Kt will be 300 mL/min multiplied by 180 minutes. The result comes to 54,000 mL, or 54 liters. The body is about 60 percent water by weight.