Roger N Greenwood, Claudio Ronco, Fiorella Gastaldon, Alessandra Brendolan, Peter Homel, Len Usvyat, Lenore Bruno, Mary Carter, Nathan W Levin
BACKGROUND: The correction of anemia using erythropoeitin (EPO) is accorded high priority in the management of patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Target hemoglobin (Hb) levels have been established in many countries. Following an observation that the mean facility EPO dose in a chain of facilities in the United States varied by more than two-fold, an examination of the practice of anemia correction in other settings was carried out. METHODS: We reviewed demographic and laboratory parameters in prevalent HD patients in 50 United States facilities and in a single HD facility in Vicenza, Italy...
November 2003: Kidney International. Supplement