Every year, more than 100,000 Americans start dialysis. One in four of them will die within 12 months—a fatality rate that is one of the worst in the industrialized world.
Is it common to die during dialysis?
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on long-term dialysis therapy have very high mortality due to predominantly cardiovascular causes1 (Figure 1). Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the single most common form of death in dialysis patients, accounting for 20% to 30% of all deaths in this cohort.
How long does it take to die off dialysis?
Most patients who stop dialysis die within a week or two. Occasionally patients who have near normal urine output may live several weeks to a month. Patients who have other illnesses may die only a few days after stopping dialysis. In the end, you become drowsy and will slip into a coma.
