Background: Patient survival on chronic haemodialysis varies considerably among different countries and healthcare systems. To date, the survival of Swiss dialysis patients has not been analysed separately.
Methods: We consecutively enrolled 266 patients entering the chronic haemodialysis program of the University Hospital Basel between 01.01.1995 and 30.06.2006 into a cohort study. Patient survival on chronic haemodialysis was the primary endpoint. Pre-specified sub-group analyses were performed for female and diabetic patients.
Results: Patient age ranged from 15 to 90 years. Seventy-two percent suffered either from coronary artery, peripheral artery or cerebrovascular disease and 34% from diabetes. Sixty-nine (26%) patients underwent kidney transplantation. Transplanted patients were significantly younger (p <0.01) and less likely to suffer from diabetes (p <0.01) and atherosclerotic diseases (coronary, peripheral, cerebrovascular p for all ≤0.01). Median survival was 4.25 years (95%CI 3.66-5.50), with one, three and five year survival rates reaching 88%, 68% and 46%. Survival rates were equal in men and women (p = 0.34), among diabetic and non-diabetic patients (p = 0.41) and among men and women stratified for the presence of diabetes (p = 0.13). Overall, 34% (91/266) patients died during the observational period. Thirty three percent of all deaths were caused by cardiac events, followed by malignant diseases (8%) and infections (7%). In 9% (23/266) dialysis was withdrawn and withdrawal of dialysis contributed to death in 25% (23/91).
Conclusion: Survival on chronic haemodialysis treatment in Switzerland compares favourably to international reference values. Dialysis withdrawal and the frequency of kidney transplantation impact long term patient outcome and should be adjusted for when comparing mortality analysis.