The initial phase of a study conducted by the Nephrology service and the Hemodialysis Nursing team at the General Hospital of Fuerteventura has yielded promising preliminary results. The research focuses on how physical exercise, performed during dialysis sessions, positively impacts patients' frailty, sarcopenia, nutritional status, and muscle mass and function parameters.
The project, led by nephrologist Avinash Chandu Nanwani, employs a multiparametric assessment that includes ultrasound of muscles and abdominal fat, bioimpedance, handgrip strength measurement, and validated scales for frailty, sarcopenia, nutrition, and quality of life. Patients, who attend three times a week for sessions lasting about four hours, often remain largely immobile, which promotes sedentary behavior. To counteract this, the unit offers an exercise program twice a week, supervised by nursing staff, combining pedaling with a cycle ergometer placed at the foot of the bed and strength exercises with elastic bands.
In the seventeen patients who completed the first six months of follow-up, significant improvements were detected. "These are preliminary results that we will need to confirm in larger studies, but they show that, in a simple way and within the unit itself, we can measure how each patient responds to exercise," explains Chandu Nanwani.
This project has received scientific recognition with presentations at national and international congresses, including the European Renal Association (ERA), the Spanish Society of Nephrology Nursing (SEDEN), and the Spanish Society of Nephrology (SEN). At the latter, the study received an award for best E-Poster communication. Furthermore, it has recently obtained a research grant from the Foundation of the College of Physicians of Las Palmas.
The next phase of the project plans to expand the study to more patients, including a comparison group and a one-year follow-up. The Hemodialysis Unit of the General Hospital of Fuerteventura, which began its activity in 2005, currently has twenty dialysis stations and serves an average of 50 patients annually. The Nephrology service comprises a multidisciplinary team of 35 professionals.
