Importance: Comparative outcome data examining the association of dialysis initiation with hospital length of stay and intensity of care in older adults with kidney failure are scarce, and prior studies are limited to patients treated by nephrology teams.
Objective: To compare in-hospital days and intensity of care among older adults with kidney failure who were treated vs not treated with maintenance dialysis.
Design, setting, and participants: This population-based, retrospective cohort study included adults in Alberta, Canada, 65 years or older with kidney failure, defined by at least 2 consecutive outpatient estimated glomerular filtration rate values of less than 10 mL/min/1.73 m2 spanning a period of at least 90 days from May 15, 2002, to March 31, 2014. Data were analyzed from August 1, 2017, to August 29, 2019.
Exposures: Time-varying exposure to maintenance dialysis for treatment of kidney failure.
Main outcomes and measures: The primary outcome was rate of in-hospital days. Secondary outcomes included rates of hospital admissions, intensive care unit admissions, cardiopulmonary resuscitations, inpatient palliative care, and emergency department visits; risk of in-hospital death; and time to admission to long-term care.
Results: A total of 968 patients (median age, 78.5 [interquartile range, 72.4-84.7] years; 489 men [50.5%]; median follow-up, 2.0 [interquartile range, 0.8-3.9] years) were included in the analysis. Patients who underwent dialysis spent more adjusted in-hospital days per person-year (36.25 [95% CI, 30.72-41.77] vs 14.65 [95% CI, 12.28-17.02]; incidence rate ratio [IRR], 2.47 [95% CI, 1.99-3.08]). However, the dialysis group did not have a higher rate of hospital admissions (1.18 [95% CI 1.07-1.29] vs 1.32 [95% CI 1.17-1.48] per year; IRR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.77-1.03]). Patients in the dialysis group had a higher rate of intensive care unit admissions per 1000 hospitalizations (98.37 [95% CI, 81.09-115.65] vs 54.51 [95% CI, 37.76-71.26]; IRR, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.28-2.54]) and lower rates of inpatient palliative care per 1000 in-hospital days (3.92 [95% CI, 3.13-4.72] vs 8.60 [95% CI, 6.3-11.0]; IRR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.32-0.64]).
Conclusions and relevance: In this cohort study, compared with nondialysis care, patients who received maintenance dialysis spent more time in the hospital and were more likely to be admitted to intensive care units. This finding suggests trade-offs between longer survival and higher intensity of use of health care services as a function of dialysis initiation. Maintenance dialysis may be a proxy for the type of philosophy of care driving increased in-hospital time and intensive care and less use of palliative care.