Abstract: Objective To explore the appropriate treatment methods for the elderly patients with end-stage renal failure. Methods A total of 59 elderly patients with end-stage renal failure diagnosed and treated in our hospital were collected. Eighteen cases were treated with medication alone, and 22 cases were treated with conventional hemodialysis, and 19 cases were treated with low-dose dialysis for the purpose of preserving residual renal function. The vital signs, blood biochemical indicators, prognosis and other indicators among the 3 groups were compared. Results At the initial stage of treatment (6 months), the conventional dialysis group and the low-dose dialysis group showed better effect than the drug group in terms of anemia, acidosis, heart failure correction and quality of life (P<0. 05). There were significiant differences in residual urine volume between the conventional dialysis group and the low-dose dialysis group (P<0. 05). In the later period of treatment (24 months), the low-dose dialysis group showed better effects than the drug group and the conventional dialysis group in terms of residual urine volume and quality of life (P<0. 05). The incidence rate of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and the survival rate showed with no significantly statistic differences among the three groups. Conclusions The elderly patients with end-stage renal failure choose hemodialysis treatment should preserve the residual renal function as much as possible, which is conductive to impove the quality of life of patients.

Key words: advanced age, end-stage renal failure, hemodialysis, quality of life, survival rate, residual renal function