Human albumin for intradialytic hypotension in haemodialysis patients.

Summary: For patients with kidney failure, hemodialysis is a life-saving treatment, but it often comes with a difficult side effect: a sudden drop in blood pressure, known as intradialytic hypotension (IDH). This causes dizziness, cramps, and nausea. To fix this during treatment, doctors inject extra fluids to boost blood pressure. A major medical review looked at whether using human albumin—a specialized, expensive protein—works better than standard, inexpensive saline (salt water) for this purpose. The results showed that albumin was no better than saline at restoring blood pressure or helping patients complete their treatment comfortably. Because albumin is much more costly, experts conclude that standard saline should remain the first choice for treating these sudden pressure drops.