Volume overload is a leading risk factor for death and cardiovascular events in end stage renal disease patients maintained on chronic dialysis, particularly in those with myocardial ischemia and heart failure which represent a substantial fraction of this population. Early identification of volume overload may prevent cardiovascular sequel in these patients but clinical signs of volume expansion are unsatisfactory to reliably identify patients at risk and to monitor them over time. On the other hand, however reliable, standard techniques for measuring extracellular or circulating (blood) volume do not convey information on fundamental heart function parameters that determine the individual haemodynamic tolerance to volume excess and the response to ultrafiltration, i.e. left ventricular (LV) filling pressure and LV function. Extra-vascular lung water is critically dependent on these parameters and represents a proxy of both, circulating volume and LV filling pressure and function, and may therefore be a better criterion to identify patients at a higher risk of volume-dependent adverse clinical outcomes and to monitor the effect of therapy aimed at preventing these outcomes. A fast (\< 5 min.), easy to learn, simple and non-expensive technique which measures extra-vascular lung water by using standard ultrasound (US) machines has been validated in dialysis patients. Whether systematic measurement of lung water by this technique may translate into better clinical outcomes in End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients has never been tested. The aim of this randomized clinical trial is that of testing a treatment policy guided by extra-vascular lung water measurements by ultrasound to prevent all-cause death, decompensated heart failure and non-fatal myocardial infarction in high risk dialysis patients with myocardial ischemia (a history of myocardial infarction with or without ST elevation or unstable angina, acute coronary syndrome documented by ECG recordings and cardiac troponins or stable angina pectoris with documented coronary artery disease by prior coronary angiography or ECG) or overt heart failure (NYHA class III-IV).
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
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Cumulative incidence of the composite outcome "death, myocardial infarction, heart failure".
Timeframe: All events occurred during 24 months of follow up will be assessed at 2 years after the start of the study. For Time-to-Event analyses, we will consider the time from the first visit to the first occurrence of death, or MI or heart failure.