This study, conducted by Chih-Ching Lin and colleagues, evaluated the impact of far-infrared (FIR) therapy on vascular access function, specifically focusing on the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) used for hemodialysis (HD) in patients with end-stage renal disease. A total of 145 HD patients participated in the randomized trial, with 72 receiving FIR therapy and 73 in a control group. The FIR therapy was administered during each dialysis session for 40 minutes, and several hemodynamic parameters, including access flow (Qa), were measured before and after the therapy. The results demonstrated that FIR therapy significantly improved Qa during each session, as the patients who received FIR therapy showed higher increases in access flow compared to the control group. Additionally, FIR therapy reduced the incidence of AVF malfunction, with a 12.5% incidence in the FIR group compared to 30.1% in the control group, and improved the long-term patency of the AVF.
The study concluded that FIR therapy is an effective, non-invasive treatment for improving both the immediate and long-term function of AVFs in HD patients. The therapy helped maintain better access flow, reduced the occurrence of access malfunction, and enhanced the unassisted patency rate of the AVF. The researchers highlighted that FIR therapy’s benefits were likely due to both thermal and non-thermal effects, making it a promising complementary treatment for patients with vascular access issues. This study suggests that FIR therapy could be an important tool in improving the quality of life and clinical outcomes for patients undergoing hemodialysis.
