Somebody does it better

Like the U.S., Australia now requires folks with CKD to be educated about all treatment options. Unlike the U.S., they are following up to see if this is happening. A new study of 721 people with CKD found that 84% had options education before starting treatment. (We'd bet that the rates here are still far, far lower!)

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

Tags: Chronic kidney disease

Toronto: 61% of dialysis patients went home

Imagine what US dialysis would look like if we could do what our neighbors do! A study of 486 people with CKD from 2001-2007 found that, of the 153 who started dialysis, most went home (79 on PD, 15 on home HD). Why (or why not)?

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

Tags: Chronic kidney disease

Straight talk: Improve CKD outcomes by prescribing better dialysis

Longer or more-frequent treatments, better access choices, ultrapure water, and better removal of fluid and toxic middle molecules could improve survival on dialysis, say researchers.

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

Tags: Chronic kidney disease

Better CKD care saves lives

People who met targets for access, hemoglobin, and blood protein levels before starting dialysis were far more likely to survive the first year, finds a new study of 192,307 patients. But just 2% met all three goals—even when they'd been seeing a nephrologist for a year.

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

Tags: Chronic kidney disease

Electrolyte management with more-frequent HD

How do you adjust short daily or nocturnal HD treatments to keep electrolytes in balance? This abstract isn't all that helpful—but you may want to get hold of the whole article.

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

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Buttonholes made easier with BioHole™ device

A polycarbonate peg placed in the needle track after dialysis can form buttonholes more quickly and accurately than using cannulation alone. The BioHole peg may help more people use the buttonhole technique—so they can take their treatments home.

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

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Naturally higher red blood cell counts do NOT reduce survival

It never made sense to us that a "normal" hemoglobin level would somehow become harmful in kidney failure. And, in fact, it's not the Hgb itself that causes harm. A new DOPPS study of 545 people on dialysis whose Hgbs were normal without ESA drugs found no difference in survival.

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

Tags: Chronic kidney disease

Future of the artificial kidney

Learn the latest on futuristic dialysis with wearable and miniaturized devices!

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

Tags: Chronic kidney disease

Fungal peritonitis (FP)? Take catheter out sooner rather than later

FP is a rare but serious problem on PD—and it can be lethal. A new study of 94 cases found that survival was nearly 3 times better when the infected catheter was removed within 24 hours of diagnosis.

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

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PD doesn't zap your heart

"Myocardial stunning" occurs in HD due to brief periods of not enough blood flow to the heart muscle. Over time, as this happens over and over, it can cause heart damage. In a small study (just 10 people') looking at heart muscles, PD exchanges did not reduce blood flow to the heart—so, no stunning occurred.

Read the abstract » | (added 2011-02-24)

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