Intradialytic Central Venous Oxygen Saturation is Associated with Clinical Outcomes in Hemodialysis Patients

Central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO(2)) in the superior vena cava is predominantly determined by cardiac output, arterial oxygen content, and oxygen consumption by the upper body. While abnormal ScvO(2) levels are associated with morbidity and mortality in non-uremic populations, ScvO(2) has received little attention in hemodialysis patients. From 1/2012 to 8/2015, 232 chronic hemodialysis patients with central venous catheters as vascular access had their ScvO(2) monitored during a 6-month baseline period and followed for up to 36 months. Patients were stratified into upper and lower two tertiles by a ScvO(2) of 61.1%. Survival analysis employed Kaplan-Meier curves and adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. Patients in the lower tertiles of ScvO(2) were older, had longer hemodialysis vintage, lower systolic blood pressure, lower ultrafiltration rates, higher leukocyte counts and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated a shorter survival time in the lower tertiles of ScvO(2) (P = 0.005, log-rank test). In adjusted Cox analysis, a 1 percent point decrease in mean ScvO(2) was associated with a 4% increase in mortality (HR 1.04 [95% CI 1.01–1.08], P = 0.044), indicating that low ScvO(2) is associated with poor outcomes. Research on the relative contributions of cardiac output and other factors is warranted to further elucidate the pathophysiology underlying this novel finding.