Aspirin in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Hemodialysis Patients

Efficacy of Monitoring of Aspirin Responsiveness in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Events and Decrease in Bleeding Complications in Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease Undergoing Hemodialysis

The study is prospectively initiated to: (1) evaluate the alterations in platelet function to aspirin therapy and the prevalence of aspirin resistance in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis, and (2) compare the incidence of vascular events (myocardial infarction, cardiac death, stroke, vascular access thrombosis, or revascularization procedure) and the safety profile among placebo-treated, aspirin-resistant and aspirin-sensitive patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients with end-stage renal disease who are undergoing long-term hemodialysis.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients will be excluded if there is evidence of

• a recent history of acute uremia,
• previous adverse reaction to a aspirin or history of aspirin hypersensitivity (eg, aspirin-induced asthma or angioedema),
• concurrent treatment with other antiplatelet agent (clopidogrel or ticlopidine), steroidal drugs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
• high immediate risk for bleeding (eg, active peptic ulceration, recent injury, or hemophilia), or
• life-threatening condition other than end-stage renal disease or vascular disease (eg, non-skin cancer).