TITLE:
In-Hospital Clinical Course of Frail Home Haemodialysis Patients vs. Otherwise Well In-Centre Haemodialysis Patients: A Tertiary Care Experience from Saudi Arabia
AUTHORS:
Bilal Mohsin, Wael Habhab, Nasir Odah, Akber Saifullah, Wafa Abdulaziz Altuwaijri, Muhammad Talha Kausar, Lama Hefni, Najla Zabani, Nadeem Shafique Butt, Saeed M. G. Al-Ghamdi
KEYWORDS:
Home Haemodialysis (HHD), In-Centre Haemodialysis (ICHD), Renal Replacement Therapy, Clinical Outcomes, Hospitalization
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nephrology,
Vol.15 No.4,
December
29,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: Patients undergoing haemodialysis, whether in-centre or at home, face a high risk of hospitalisation. At our centre, HHD is offered to patients with a high frailty index, multiple comorbidities, and need for assisted mobilisation. This study aimed to compare the in-hospital clinical course of frail patients receiving HHD with otherwise well ICHD patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective chart review included 42 adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years), with 21 patients in each group: ICHD (n = 21) and HHD (n = 21); chart review was done from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023. The studied outcomes between the two groups included hospital admissions, in-hospital consultations, Estimated Length Of Stay (ELOS), readmission within 30 days of discharge, and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) presentations. Results: Of 88 hospital admissions, 67% (n = 59) were noted in the ICHD group and 33% (n = 29) in the HHD group (p = 0.0014). Inpatient consultations totaled 207, with 65% (n = 135) for ICHD and 35% (n = 72) for HHD (p Conclusion: Despite having a higher frailty index, HHD patients demonstrated more favorable clinical outcomes across studied parameters. A prospective multicenter study with a larger cohort and extended follow-up is required to further validate these findings.