EPO and stage 5 chronic kidney disease: The development of erythropoietic stimulatory agents (ESA), such as recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) and darbepoietin alpha (DPO), has resulted in substantial health benefits for patients with end-stage renal failure, including improved quality of life, reduced blood transfusion requirements, decreased left ventricular mass, diminished sleep disturbance and enhanced exercise capacity [3,4].