Fatigue, acid-base and electrolyte changes with exhaustive treadmill exercise in hemodialysis patients

Aerobic conditioning exercises have been shown to be beneficial for maintenance hemodialysis patients, but biochemical changes during exhaustive exercise in these functionally anephric patients have been less thoroughly studied. We evaluated serum biochemical changes in 7 patients during and after treadmill exercise to patient exhaustion. Duration of exercise was limited by lower leg fatigue without claudication. At exhaustion, only mild changes from baseline rest values were noted in arterial pH (7.39 ± 0.03-7.33 ± 0.04) and lactate (0.94 ± 0.3-5.73 ± 2.68 mmol/l) despite normal exercise-induced intracellular fluid shifts as evidenced by albumin concentration increases (44.9 ± 2.8-49.3 ± 3.1 g/l). Increases in serum K⁺ concentrations are also modest (change in K from baseline = 0.87 ± 0.22 mmol/l). An explanation for these minimal biochemical alterations at exhaustion is unclear, but could relate to exercise being limited well below estimated maximum cardiac output and muscle O₂ extraction levels by early, unexplained muscle fatigue. Fatigue in hemodialysis patients does not appear to be due to muscle hypoxia.