when is the best time to do ECG for dialysis patient

[uae808]

Hi ,dear fellows ,

I am working in a dialysis center , our company clinical setting require to do yearly ECG and 2yearly X-RAY for all the dialysis I patient , most time we do ECG for patient is pre dialysis, and I was told not allow to do ECG for patient after dialysis , could anyone here has better idea about it ?

[Chisca, RN]

Annual EKG. No chest pain. Why muddy the water with what a dialysis machine does to your electrolytes by getting an EKG after a treatment? Clinics only check chemistry panels once a month and although the assumption is that all dialysis patients run high potassiums many do not. The bicarb in the dialysis bath also corrects acidosis which further alters the potassium.

[offlabel]

Annual EKG. No chest pain. Why muddy the water with what a dialysis machine does to your electrolytes by getting an EKG after a treatment? Clinics only check chemistry panels once a month and although the assumption is that all dialysis patients run high potassiums many do not. The bicarb in the dialysis bath also corrects acidosis which further alters the potassium.

OK, fair enough...that's a good an opinion as any, but still, is it going to make so much of a difference that progressive diseased would be missed? Lead placement could muddy things as much. I just can't see where it would matter to that degree.