What measurement indicates the effectiveness of dialysis treatment?

The measurement that indicates the effectiveness of dialysis treatment is adequate dialysis clearance. This refers to the ability of the dialysis process to remove waste products, excess fluids, and toxins from the blood effectively. The primary goal of hemodialysis is to achieve a sufficient clearance of urea, creatinine, and other metabolic waste products, which are typically assessed by the urea reduction ratio (URR) or Kt/V (where K represents the dialysis clearance rate, t is the time of dialysis, and V is the volume of distribution of urea). Higher values in these measurements indicate that the dialysis is effectively cleaning the blood and maintaining the patient’s metabolic balance.

While the other choices relate to aspects of patient health, they do not specifically measure the success of the dialysis process itself. Blood pressure readings can reflect the patient’s overall hemodynamic status but do not directly assess how well dialysis is working. Heart rate variability is more linked to cardiovascular health and autonomic function rather than dialysis efficacy. Body weight changes can provide information about fluid status but do not measure the removal of toxins and waste products, which is the primary concern in evaluating dialysis effectiveness.