Home haemodialysis in Malaysia

A review of the home haemodialysis programme at the General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur between 1977 and 1984 revealed that out of 194 patients accepted into the programme, 187 completed home training and continued haemodialysis at home, seven died before having started on the training programme. The majority of patients required less than four months to be trained; 107 patients performed dialysis independently and 24 required assistance only for the insertion of needles. Patient survival was 93%, 80% and 69% at one, three and five years, respectively. Rehabilitation has been excellent and few social problems were encountered. Our experiences with home haemodialysis have shown that the majority of patients were able to assume responsibility for their own dialysis, and this has contributed to the good survival and excellent rehabilitation. Home haemodialysis was started in Boston in 1963, in Seattle and London in 1964 for the treatment of end stage renal disease (ESRD). It is now well-established as a therapy for patients with ESRD. Home haemodialysis has been practised in Malaysia since 1977. This report reviews the experiences of patients accepted for treatment between 1977 and 1984. All patients were treated by the Department of Nephrology, General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, which supervises patients living all over the country.