Relationship between different blood pressure measurements and left ventricular mass by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in end–stage renal disease

•Blood pressure measurements in dialysis units correlate with left ventricular mass.•Initial dialysis mean arterial pressure correlates best with left ventricular mass.•Post-dialysis systolic blood pressure best predicts left ventricular hypertrophy.

Hypertension is prevalent in patients with end–stage renal disease and is strongly associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. Blood pressure (BP) monitoring in hemodialysis patients may be unreliable because of its lability and variability. We compared different methods of BP measurement and their relationship with LVH on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Sixty patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis at a single dialysis center had BP recorded at each dialysis session over 12 weeks: pre–dialysis, initial dialysis, nadir during dialysis, and post–dialysis. Forty–five of these patients also underwent 44–hour inter–dialytic ambulatory BP monitoring. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was measured using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and the presence of LVH was ascertained. Receiver operator characteristic curves were generated for each BP measurement for predicting LVH. The mean LVMI was 68 g/m2 (SD = 15 g/m2); 13/60 patients (22%) had LVH. Mean arterial pressure measured shortly after initiation of dialysis session was most strongly correlated with LVMI (Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.59, P < .0001). LVH was best predicted by post–dialysis systolic BP (area under the curve, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.72–0.94) and initial dialysis systolic BP (area under the curve, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.70–0.92). Forty–four–hour ambulatory BP and BP variability did not significantly predict LVH. Initial dialysis mean arterial pressure and systolic BP and post–dialysis systolic BP are the strongest predictors of LVH, and may represent the potentially best treatment targets in hemodialysis patients to prevent end–organ damage. Further studies are needed to confirm whether treatment targeting these BP measurements can optimize cardiovascular outcomes.