Background: Valproic acid (VPA) poisoning has a dynamic clinical course and may require extracorporeal toxin removal (ECTR) in severe cases. Intermittent hemodialysis is the preferred ECTR technique; however, clinical experience with expanded hemodialysis (HDx) using medium cut-off (MCO) membranes in acute VPA intoxication is scarce. We describe a case of severe VPA poisoning managed with intermittent HDx and outline the clinical rationale and kinetic response. Case Report: A 54-year-old woman presented to the emergency department after accidental presumably ingesting approximately 4 g of VPA, with depressed consciousness (Glasgow Coma Scale 7) and metabolic acidosis (pH 7.10, HCO3− 13 mmol/L, PCO2 50 mmHg, lactate 2.8 mmol/L, ionized calcium 0.8 mmol/L, elevated anion gap). Initial plasma VPA was 262.99 µg/mL, ammonia was 14 µmol/L, and cranial computed tomography showed no acute abnormalities. ECTR was initiated in the intensive care unit as intermittent HDx using an MCO dialyzer for 4 h. Serial VPA concentrations were obtained before treatment, at 2 h, and at the end of the session to guide real-time prescription adjustment, with an increase in blood flow from 200 to 230 mL/min. Results: VPA decreased from 262.99 µg/mL pre-HD to 141.48 µg/mL at 2 h (46.2% reduction) and 97.81 µg/mL at 4 h (62.8% reduction), with clear improvement in the level of consciousness. A mild post-dialysis rebound was observed (100.07 µg/mL at 14 h). The patient recovered without additional ECTR and was discharged with normalized VPA levels on follow-up. Conclusions: In this patient, intermittent HDx with an MCO membrane was feasible, well tolerated, and associated with rapid VPA clearance and neurological recovery. Serial drug monitoring enabled bedside optimization of the dialysis prescription and post-treatment evaluation. A single HDx session was sufficient, and VPA therapy was safely reintroduced under close monitoring.
Background and Objectives: Psychological resilience is central to emotional adaptation in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Although psychosocial determinants have been widely studied, the role of routinely monitored biochemical markers remains insufficiently defined. Materials and Methods: This study examined the associations between selected metabolic–inflammatory biomarkers and psychological resilience in adults receiving maintenance HD and explored potential gender-related differences. Resilience was assessed using the Resilience Scale–14 (RS-14). β2-microglobulin, serum albumin, calcium, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were analyzed as continuous predictors. Multiple linear regression models with heteroscedasticity-consistent robust standard errors (HC3) were adjusted for age, HD vintage, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Two interaction terms (Gender × β2-microglobulin and Gender × albumin) were specified a priori. Model stability was evaluated using nonparametric bootstrap resampling (5000 iterations) and penalized regression with cross-validation. Results: In bivariate analyses, higher β2-microglobulin levels were associated with lower resilience (ρ = −0.24; p = 0.041), whereas serum albumin showed a positive but non-significant association (p = 0.14). These relationships did not remain statistically significant in fully adjusted models (β2-microglobulin: p = 0.107). No Gender × Biomarker interaction reached statistical significance (p = 0.162). Stratified analyses showed consistent directional patterns across gender groups. Conclusions: Metabolic–inflammatory biomarkers, particularly β2-microglobulin and serum albumin, may be associated with psychological resilience in HD. However, gender-specific effects were not supported in adjusted analyses. These findings require validation in larger, longitudinal, multicenter studies.