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Dialysate bicarbonate practices
1.
What is your dialysis program (province, city, name of dialysis program/affiliated hospital and/or university)?
St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton Regional Program
Kingston General Hospital Regional Program
Grand River Hospital Regional Program
Halton Healthcare Services Regional Program
Humber River Regional Hospital Program
Lakeridge Health Corporation Regional Program
London Health Sciences Centre Regional Program
Mackenzie Health Regional Program
Michael Garron (Toronto East)
Niagara Health Centre Regional Program
North Bay Regional Health Centre
Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital
Ottawa Hospital Regional Program
Peterborough Regional Health Centre
Renfrew Victoria Hospital
Royal Victoria Hospital
Sault Area Hospital
Scarborough Hospital
St Joseph's Health Centre, Toronto
St Micheal's Hospital, Toronto
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Timmins and District Hospital
Trillium Health Partners Regional Program
University Health Network, Toronto
William Osler Health Centre
Windsor Regional Hospital
Other (please specify)
2.
What hemodialysis machine does your program use (i.e., make/model)
Fresenius 5008
Gambro Artis
BBraun Dialog +
Other (please specify)
3.
Is bicarbonate delivery performed at the level of the individual hemodialysis machine (vs. centralized delivery system)?
Yes
No
4.
What bicarbonate product does your program use?
Liquid cartridges
Bicart powder
Other (please specify)
5.
Does your program adjust the dialysate bicarbonate concentration regularly (i.e., weekly or monthly) based on individual patient factors, such as pre-dialysis serum bicarbonate concentration?
Yes
No
If yes, please specify what factors determine adjustment, i.e., pre-dialysis serum bicarbonate target.
6.
For chronic dialysis patients, does your program use a different dialysate bicarbonate concentration in the inpatient/acute setting compared to the outpatient setting?
Always
Frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Please specify when you would adjust the dialysate bicarbonate concentration in the inpatient setting.
7.
Does your program prescribe the same dialysate bicarbonate concentration for >90% of patients?
Yes
No
Unsure
8.
What is the dialysate bicarbonate concentration prescribed for most patients in your program?
<30 mmol/L
30-32 mmol/L
33 mmol/L
34 mmol/L
35 mmol/L
36 mmol/L
37 mmol/L
38 mmol/L
>38 mmol/L
The concentrations are individualized. There is no single or default concentration prescribed for most patients.
9.
For the purposes of a trial examining the impact of different dialysate bicarbonate concentrations on patient outcomes, what is the lowest concentration you would be willing to randomize patients to?
10.
For the purposes of a trial examining the impact of different dialysate bicarbonate concentrations on patient outcomes, what is the highest concentration you would be willing to randomize patients to?
11.
Does your program prescribe oral sodium bicarbonate to chronic hemodialysis patients?
Never
Rarely, under specific circumstances
Sometimes
Often
12.
Would your dialysis program be willing to participate in a national, cluster randomized pragmatic trial that compares two different standard dialysate bicarbonate concentrations to one another?
Yes
No
Unsure
If no or unsure, please state why below.