Intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) is a procedure that can sustain a patient's life during acute renal injury (ARI). The major application of IHD in veterinary medicine is in supportive management of uremia resulting from ARI or chronic kidney disease when conventional therapies are not effective. However, there are some complications related to this procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the main complications during the intradialytic period. Eight dogs with ARI were submitted to daily treatment with IHD for nine days, with 60-min sessions. Vascular access to blood filtration was obtained by implanting a transcutaneous double-lumen venous dialysis catheter in the jugular vein.

It was used a proportioning system IHD machine, with controlled UF and a hollow-fiber hemodialyzer, with a polysulfone membrane. Anticoagulation during IHD was achieved with sodium heparin at 100 U/kg. Heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), temperature (T), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), white blood cell and platelet counts, and also hematocrit (Ht) were evaluated, and intradialytic complications were recorded. Seventy-two IHD sessions were performed.

No changes in HR and RR were observed, while decreases in T and SAP were noted during IHD. In three dogs (37.5%), neurological alterations were noted. The intradialytic intercurrences observed were vomiting in 22.22% of the IHD sessions, hypotension in 15.27% and the need to exchange the dialysis catheter in 5.55% of the sessions, all of which were easily corrected.

IHD is a safe therapy that is associated with a low incidence of complications.