Abstract: 【Abstract】Objective To analyze the characteristics of the maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients died in this hospital from January 2005 to December 2011, and to investigate the risk factors relating to the death in elderly MHD patients.  Methods Retrospective study on MHD patients in the period from January 2005 to December 2011 found 83 death cases that had treated with MHD for more than 3 months. The annual number of death cases and mortality rate were then calculated. These cases were divided into 3 groups: middle age group (<60 years of age), elderly group (60 to 79 years of age), and very elderly group (>80 years of age). Demographic features, diabetes, dialysis age and cause of death were analyzed among the three groups.  Results The annual mortality rate in MHD patients from 2005 to 2011 was 11.0%, 10.9%, 8.3%, 8.1%, 10.1%, 8.7% and 6.34%, respectively. Of the 83 death cases, 49 cases were males and 34 cases were females, with the mean age of 71.8±12.0 years (42-94 years). Fourteen cases were in middle age group, 46 cases in elderly group, and 23 cases in very elderly group. Sex difference was insignificant among the three groups. Dialysis age was longer in middle age group, and was shorter in elderly group. Diabetic nephropathy was frequently found in elderly group. The causes of death were different. In middle age group, 50% cases died of cerebral vascular disease, especially cerebral hemorrhage. In very elderly group, 56% cases died of septic shock. In elderly group, death was resulted from various causes, including septic shock, cardiac infarction or heart failure, tumor, malnutrition-inflammation-atherosclerosis syndrome (MIA syndrome) and sudden death (in order of the prevalence rate). Conclusions Most of the death cases in this dialysis center were older than 60 years of age. Diabetes played a role more important than age on the prognosis of MHD patients. Cerebral vascular disease was the major cause of death in middle age patients, and septic shock is the main cause in very elderly patients. The causes leading to death in elderly patients were various, including cardiovascular disease, infection, tumor and MIA syndromeelderly.

Key words: Hemodialysis, Elderly, Cardiovascular disease, Infection, Very