Patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) often have signs and symptoms related to fluid and electrolyte disturbances, anemia, malnutrition, bone disease, and gastrointestinal problems. Vascular and neurologic impairment in particular... more
Patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) often have signs and symptoms related to fluid and electrolyte disturbances, anemia, malnutrition, bone disease, and gastrointestinal problems. Vascular and neurologic impairment in particular remain an important source of morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable patient population. Sagliker syndrome is a novel syndrome that was recently described in 2004 in patients with CRF and severe and late secondary hyperparathyroidism who suffered from severe skull and facial bone changes, particularly from uglifying human face appearances and neuropsychiatric disorders. The goal of this study was to assess neuropsychiatric manifestations occurring in CRF patients with Sagliker syndrome. Four female and 8 male patients with CRF on regular dialysis at the hemodialysis units of the Internal Medicine Departments around southern Turkey participated in the study. All patients underwent a clinical neurologic examination performed by the same neurologist. Neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms were found in all cases. The results showed that the most frequent neurologic manifestations in CRF patients with Sagliker syndrome were headache, polyneuropathy, cranial neuropathy, fatigue, and psychiatric disorders.
The purpose of this study was to identify the most common nursing diagnoses in chronic renal patients using as reference Imogene King's Conceptual System, which describes the three systems that form the basis for her model: personal,... more
The purpose of this study was to identify the most common nursing diagnoses in chronic renal patients using as reference Imogene King's Conceptual System, which describes the three systems that form the basis for her model: personal, interpersonal and social. A data collecting tool with a supervised follow up was applied to 20 patients in a unit of dialysis in order to verify the patients' needs. The diagnoses were determined according to NANDA's Taxonomy II. In 50% or more of the chronic renal clients nursing diagnoses were: risk of infection, altered protection and altered comfort.
Endothelial-derived microparticles (EMPs) are a novel biological marker of endothelium injury and vasomotion disorders that are involved in pathogenesis of cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory diseases. Circulating levels of EMPs... more
Endothelial-derived microparticles (EMPs) are a novel biological marker of endothelium injury and vasomotion disorders that are involved in pathogenesis of cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory diseases. Circulating levels of EMPs are thought to reflect a balance between cell stimulation, proliferation, apoptosis, and cell death. Increased EMPs may be defined in several cardiovascular diseases, such as stable and unstable coronary artery disease, acute and chronic heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmias, thromboembolism, asymptomatic atherosclerosis as well as renal failure, metabolic disorders (including type two diabetes mellitus, abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance) and dyslipidemia. This review highlights the controversial opinions regarding impact of circulating EMPs in major cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and summarizes the perspective implementation of the EMPs in risk stratification models.
♦ Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has limited power for liquid extraction (ultrafiltration), so fluid overload remains a major cause of treatment failure. ♦ Methods: We present steady concentration peritonal dialysis (SCPD), which... more
♦ Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has limited power for liquid extraction (ultrafiltration), so fluid overload remains a major cause of treatment failure. ♦ Methods: We present steady concentration peritonal dialysis (SCPD), which increases ultrafiltration of PD exchanges by maintaining a constant peritoneal glucose concentration. This is achieved by infusing 50% glucose solution at a constant rate (typically 40 mL/h) during the 4-hour dwell of a 2-L 1.36% glucose exchange. We treated 21 fluid overload episodes on 6 PD patients with high or average-high peritoneal transport characteristics who refused hemodialysis as an alternative. Each treatment consisted of a single session with 1 to 4 SCPD exchanges (as needed). ♦ Results: Ultrafiltration averaged 653 ± 363 mL/4 h — twice the ultrafiltration of the peritoneal equilibration test (PET) (300 ± 251 mL/4 h, p < 0.001) and 6-fold the daily ultrafiltration (100 ± 123 mL/4 h, p < 0.001). Serum and peritoneal glucose stability...
♦ Background: There is little information regarding the financial burden of peritonitis and the economic impact of continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The objectives of this study were to... more
♦ Background: There is little information regarding the financial burden of peritonitis and the economic impact of continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The objectives of this study were to measure the costs of peritonitis, and determine the net savings of a PD CQI program in Colombia. ♦ Methods: The Renal Therapy Services (RTS) network in Colombia, along with Coomeva EPS, provided healthcare resource utilization data for PD patients with and without peritonitis between January 2012 and December 2013. Propensity score matching and regression analysis were performed to estimate the incremental cost of peritonitis. Patient months at risk, episodes of peritonitis pre- and post-CQI, and costs of CQI were obtained. Annual net savings of the CQI program were estimated based on the number of peritonitis events prevented. ♦ Results: The incremental cost of a peritonitis episode was $250. In an 8-year period, peritonitis decreased from 1,837 epis...
This is the first case of documented treatment failure of JCV nephritis, despite a reduction of immunosuppressive agents and the use of antiviral therapy. We consistently detected high levels of JCV viremia, which correlated with the... more
This is the first case of documented treatment failure of JCV nephritis, despite a reduction of immunosuppressive agents and the use of antiviral therapy. We consistently detected high levels of JCV viremia, which correlated with the progressive deterioration of the graft and caused the final loss of the kidney, suggesting that JCV plays an etiological role in the onset of severe nephropathy in kidney transplant patients.
Background Remaining edema-free is a challenge for many automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) patients, especially those with fast (“high”) transport characteristics. Although increased use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions with high... more
Background Remaining edema-free is a challenge for many automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) patients, especially those with fast (“high”) transport characteristics. Although increased use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions with high glucose concentrations may improve volume control, frequent use of such solutions is undesirable. Methods We used the 3-pore kinetic model to evaluate 4 alternative therapy prescriptions for the APD day exchange in anuric patients with high, high-average, and low-average transport characteristics. Four prescriptions were modeled: Therapy 1: Optimal, individualized dwell times with a dry period Therapy 2: Use of a midday exchange Therapy 3: Use of an icodextrin-containing dialysate during a 14-hour dwell Therapy 4: Use of optimal, individualized dwell times, followed by an icodextrin dwell to complete the daytime period The alternative therapies were compared with a reference standard therapy using glucose solution during a 14-hour dwell. The nighttime...
Proteinuric diabetic kidney disease frequently progresses to ESRD. Control of BP delays progression, but the optimal BP to improve outcomes remains unclear. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the relationship between BP and... more
Proteinuric diabetic kidney disease frequently progresses to ESRD. Control of BP delays progression, but the optimal BP to improve outcomes remains unclear. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the relationship between BP and renal outcomes in proteinuric diabetic kidney disease. BP data from all 1448 randomized participants in the Veterans Affairs Nephropathy in Diabetes Trial were included in a post hoc analysis. The associations of mean on-treatment BP with the primary end point (decline in eGFR, ESRD, or death), renal end point (decline in eGFR or ESRD), rate of eGFR decline, and mortality were measured. The median (25th, 75th percentile) follow-up time was 2.2 (1.2, 3.0) years. There were 284 primary end points. In univariate analyses, both mean systolic and mean diastolic BPs were strongly associated (P<0.001) with the primary end point. After multivariate adjustment, the hazard of developing the primary end point became progressively higher as mean systolic BP ro...
Although hyperphosphatemia is one of the few established risk factors for cardiovascular mortality in patients on dialysis, the relationship between peritoneal dialysis (PD) prescription and dialytic phosphate removal is largely... more
Although hyperphosphatemia is one of the few established risk factors for cardiovascular mortality in patients on dialysis, the relationship between peritoneal dialysis (PD) prescription and dialytic phosphate removal is largely unexplored. We analyzed 24-hour clearances (n = 60) together with peritoneal equilibration tests (PETs) (n = 52) performed in children and adolescents (n = 35) on automated PD. Dialytic phosphate clearance was more closely correlated with 2-hour and 4-hour dialysate-to-plasma ratio (D/P) of phosphate in the PETs (r = 0.44 and r = 0.52, both p < 0.0001) than with 2-hour and 4-hour D/P creatinine (r = 0.26 and r = 0.27, both p < 0.05). Dialytic 24-hour phosphate clearance was independently predicted by total fluid turnover (partial R(2) = 0.48, p < 0.001), the number of cycles (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), 2-hour D/P phosphate (partial R(2) = 0.07, p = 0.001), dwell time (partial R(2) = 0.05, p = 0.01), and achieved ultrafiltration (partial R(2) = 0.05, p...
Accurate information on prevalence and status of blood pressure control among US hemodialysis patients is lacking. We have surveyed the status of blood pressure control in 649 hemodialysis patients (89.8% black) from 10 dialysis units in... more
Accurate information on prevalence and status of blood pressure control among US hemodialysis patients is lacking. We have surveyed the status of blood pressure control in 649 hemodialysis patients (89.8% black) from 10 dialysis units in Mississippi. Our results show a hypertension prevalence of 72% (hypertension defined as mean arterial pressure prior to dialysis session ≥114 mm Hg). This mean arterial pressure did not differ among black patients compared with white patients (P = 0.51). The majority of hypertensive patients (80%) had elevation of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Isolated systolic hypertension was present in only 20% of hypertensive patients and was not different between black and white patients (P = 0.10). Three hundred eighty-one patients (58.7% of the total population and 81.5% of the hypertensive patients) were receiving antihypertensives. Age was the only significant factor that correlated with blood pressure: older patients (>65 years) had lower blood pressure (P < 0.0001). Race, time on dialysis, etiology of end-stage renal disease, adequacy of dialysis, and several excess volume parameters had no influence on the blood pressure level. Treated hypertensive patients had a predialysis mean blood pressure only 3 mm Hg less than the untreated hypertensive patients. No differences were found among four classes of antihypertensives with regard to the degree of blood pressure control. Patients with hypertension requiring more than one antihypertensive did not achieve a lower blood pressure than the untreated patients. There was no correlation between use of antihypertensives and the magnitude of decrease in blood pressure after dialysis. Our results document the high prevalence and resistant nature of hypertension in the hemodialysis population. It also casts doubt on the effectiveness of our current methods of treatment. Excess volume may not be as important in these patients as once thought.
The first generation of troponin T ELISA (TnT 1) can yield false-positive results in patients with severe skeletal muscle injury. Therefore, a cardiac-specific second-generation troponin T ELISA (TnT 2) was developed, in which the... more
The first generation of troponin T ELISA (TnT 1) can yield false-positive results in patients with severe skeletal muscle injury. Therefore, a cardiac-specific second-generation troponin T ELISA (TnT 2) was developed, in which the cross-reactive antibody 1B10 has been replaced by a high-affinity cardiac-specific antibody M11.7. No cross-reactivity of TnT 2 was observed with purified skeletal muscle troponin T (1000 micrograms/L) or in test samples from 43 marathon runners and 24 patients with rhabdomyolysis and highly increased creatine kinase. TnT 2 was increased > 0.2 microgram/L in 5 of 40 patients with renal failure and in 4 of 20 muscular dystrophy patients. The detection limit is 0.012 microgram/L. Day-to-day imprecision (CV) within the range 0.19-14.89 micrograms/L was < 5.8%. In 4955 patients without myocardial damage, 99.6% had TnT < 0.10 microgram/L. Assay comparison (TnT 1 vs TnT 2) over the whole concentration range (i.e., in 323 samples from AMI-suspected patie...
To compare hospital costs of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients having haemodialysis treatment and forecast the future treatment cost. The costs of patients with HD in the "Top End" of Australia's Northern Territory were... more
To compare hospital costs of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients having haemodialysis treatment and forecast the future treatment cost. The costs of patients with HD in the "Top End" of Australia's Northern Territory were estimated for the financial years 1996/97 and 1997/98 using a hospital costing model. We used an Autoregression Integrated Moving Average model to predict future demand. 165 patients (101 Aboriginal and 64 non-Aboriginal) were treated at a total cost of $12.4 million in this two-year period. These 165 patients represented 0.7% of inpatients, 8.8% of total inpatient costs and 31.6% of total inpatient episodes of care in the Top End region. $9.5 million (77%) was spent on routine haemodialysis treatment and $2.9m (23%) on other hospitalisations. The average cost per routine haemodialysis treatment over the two-year period was $527, or $78 600 per patient treatment year. Hospitalisations for comorbidities occurred in 86% of Aboriginal and 39% of non-A...
Affective disorders, particularly depression, are the commonest and probably the most important psychopathological complication of end stage renal disease (ESRD). Depression has the potential to alter adversely the medical outcome of ESRD... more
Affective disorders, particularly depression, are the commonest and probably the most important psychopathological complication of end stage renal disease (ESRD). Depression has the potential to alter adversely the medical outcome of ESRD patients and the psychological stress can affect patient's adherence to medication regimen. In Iraq as well as many other Arab countries, the true prevalence of depression among ESRD patients is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression among a cohort of Iraqi hemodialysis (HD) patients and relate it to their socio-demographic characteristics. We recruited patients from two HD centers in Baghdad, excluding patients with history of depression or other psychiatric disorders prior to the initiation of HD. The Arabic version of diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fourth edition (DSM-IV) was used to diagnose depression. Beck's Depression Inventory was used to grade its severity. Clinical...
The proper measures for assessing quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain unclear. QOL measures are subjective or objective, functional or satisfaction-based, and generic or disease-specific. Treatment... more
The proper measures for assessing quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain unclear. QOL measures are subjective or objective, functional or satisfaction-based, and generic or disease-specific. Treatment of end-stage renal disease with transplantation and treatment of anemia with erythropoietin in patients with CKD have been associated with dramatic improvements of QOL. Other factors such as age, ethnic or national background, stage of CKD, modality of dialytic therapy, exercise interventions, sleep disturbances, pain, erectile dysfunction, patient satisfaction with care, depressive affect, symptom burden, and perception of intrusiveness of illness may be associated with differential perception of QOL. Recent studies showed an association between assessment of QOL and morbidity and mortality in end-stage renal disease patients, suggesting the measures do matter. Further studies are necessary in patients with early stages of CKD and in children. QOL m...
INTRODUCTION Tuberculosis reactivation is one of significant complications after transplantation. Tuberculin skin test (TST) has been the major available screening test in end-stage renal disease patients, but it is associated with a low... more
INTRODUCTION Tuberculosis reactivation is one of significant complications after transplantation. Tuberculin skin test (TST) has been the major available screening test in end-stage renal disease patients, but it is associated with a low accuracy. Recently, an interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) has been approved as a substitution test in diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. This study aimed to compare the ability of the TST and IGRA in the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis in hemodialysis patients and investigate risk factors of having positive test results. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-seven hemodialysis patients underwent the IGRA and TST tests. Demographic data and blood samples were collected and chest radiography was done for all participants. RESULT Abnormal chest radiography was reported in 24% of the study group. The IGRA and TST were positive in 11 (23.4%) and 20 patients (43.5%), respectively. The agreement coefficient (kappa) between the IGRA and TST was 0....
Hypervolemia is a risk factor for left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertension in peritoneal dialysis patients. Icodextrin improves volume control by increasing ultrafiltration in peritoneal dialysis patients. To examine the effects of... more
Hypervolemia is a risk factor for left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertension in peritoneal dialysis patients. Icodextrin improves volume control by increasing ultrafiltration in peritoneal dialysis patients. To examine the effects of twice-daily icodextrin administration on blood pressure and left ventricular hypertrophy in peritoneal dialysis patients with hypervolemia and ultrafiltration failure. Administration of icodextrin twice daily resulted in a significant reduction in the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) of patients by the end of the third month (p < 0.05). The reduction in LVMI was also significant for the once-daily icodextrin group (p < 0.05). Mean blood pressure of patients receiving icodextrin twice daily was significantly reduced (p < 0.05). By the end of the third month no significant changes were observed in mean blood pressure of the patients using once-daily icodextrin (p > 0.05). No statistically significant changes were observed in weekly total ...
Background: Renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for selected patients with end-stage renal disease. In this study, we present our experience and follow up data of renal transplantations done at this center with special... more
Background: Renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for selected patients with end-stage renal disease. In this study, we present our experience and follow up data of renal transplantations done at this center with special emphasis on demographic characteristics, outcome and its complications. Materials and Methods: All those patients who underwent renal transplantations and had been followed up at this center were studied and their details were recorded. For living donor transplantation, donor and recipient were evaluated in detail. Graft loss was defined as the patient became dialysis-dependent or underwent second renal transplantation. Results: A total of 250 renal transplantations were done during the study period. 16.4% of total transplantations were cadaveric transplants. Recipients mean age was 38.5±11.64 yrs and donor mean age was 42.25 ±10.79 yrs. The majority of the recipients were male (72.4%) while female donors were predominant among living donors(59.3%). Mean graft survival time was 98.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI]:72.2-114.4). Mean patient survival time was 104.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI]:82.4-126.2). Conclusion: There is increasing no. of cadaveric renal transplants due to well established deceased donation programs in the state. Our patient and graft survival are comparable. Most of the immediate graft loss was due to acute rejection and late graft loss was due to chronic antibody-mediated rejection
To determine the possible association between anemia and clinical and echocardiographic cardiac disease, a cohort of 432 end-stage renal disease patients (261 on hemodialysis and 171 on peritoneal dialysis) who started dialysis therapy... more
To determine the possible association between anemia and clinical and echocardiographic cardiac disease, a cohort of 432 end-stage renal disease patients (261 on hemodialysis and 171 on peritoneal dialysis) who started dialysis therapy between 1982 and 1991 were followed prospectively for an average of 41 months. Baseline demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic assessments were performed, as well as monthly serial clinical and laboratory tests while the patients were on dialysis therapy. The mean (+/-SD) hemoglobin level during dialysis therapy was 8.8 +/- 1.5 g/dL. After adjusting for age, diabetes, and ischemic heart disease, as well as for blood pressure and serum albumin levels measured serially, each 1 g/dL decrease in mean hemoglobin was independently associated with the presence of left ventricular dilatation on repeat echocardiogram (odds ratio, 1.46; P = 0.018) and the development of de novo (relative risk [RR] = 1.28; P = 0.018) and recurrent (RR = 1.20; P = 0.046) cardiac failure. In addition, each 1 g/dL decrease in the mean hemoglobin level was independently associated with mortality while the patients were on dialysis therapy (RR = 1.14; P = 0.024). Anemia had no independent association with the development of ischemic heart disease while the patients were on dialysis therapy. Anemia, an easily reversible feature of end-stage renal disease, is an independent risk factor for clinical and echocardiographic cardiac disease, as well as mortality in end-stage renal disease patients.