Abstract: 【Abstract】Early mortality is higher in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients, probably due to the frequent dialysis at the initial stage. Conventional HD of threEtimes per week at the initial stage is currently adopted by most countries, which may neglect the role of residual renal function (RRF) in these patients. The simple way to estimate the RRF is explored in recent years, and at the same time the value of incremental HD has been emphasized. Most studies showed that incremental HD was useful for the preservation of RRF, with the long-term survival rate similar to that using conventional HD. However, the research about early mortality in the patients undergoing incremental HD was scant. This article briefly describes the latest research progress in incremental HD.

Key words: Hemodialysis, Incremental hemodialysis, Residual renal function, Early mortality