Clinical efficacy of deproteinized hemodialysate in the treatment of intermittent claudication

Abstract

The clinical efficacy of a hemodialysate (HD)/ultrafiltrate of frozen calf blood administered as a 20% intravenous infusion was evaluated in 138 hospitalized patients with intermittent claudication due to peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD) (Fontaine II classification) in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study comparing parallel groups in five centers. The extent of improved pain-free walking distance (PFWD responders) (58%) and maximal walking distance (MWD responders) (53%) in the HD-treated patients was significantly greater than in the placebo-treated subjects (34% and 44% respectively).

There were no significant changes at any stage of the study in the ankle/arm pressure ratio at rest and after standard treadmill exercise. These results confirm that there is a favorable clinical response to HD in patients with PAOD stage II (Fontaine) with no evidence of increase in blood flow.