Chest ultrasound finds some lung congestion in asymptomatic PD patients

Italian researchers did chest ultrasounds on 88 PD patients. Just under half had moderate to severe lung congestion—even though 57% had no shortness of breath, and only 27% had foot swelling.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Bone density better in PD than in standard HD

A study compared bone density X-rays in 56 people on standard HD and 23 on PD to 79 healthy people matched for age, gender, BMI, and menopausal status. The healthy people had higher bone density than those on dialysis. But, those on standard HD had significantly lower bone density than those on PD.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Long-term effects of daily HD on vascular access

Does more frequent use of a vascular access create problems for those who do short daily HD? A new 4-year prospective, randomized study of 77 people says NO. Patients did six 3-hour HD sessions per week (n=26) or three 4-hour sessions (n=51). There were fewer access procedures in the daily group (543.2 per 1000 patient years, vs. 400.8), though this difference was not significant. There was also no difference in time to first access revision or access failure.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Mathematical modeling shows long, slow HD is better

Dropping the blood flow rate from 350 mL/min to 175 mL/min and dialyzing for 8 hours instead of 4 removes significantly more wastes—especially beta2 microglobulin, which causes amyloidosis.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Home HD may be a good fit for obese patients

An Australian clinic has successfully trained 23 obese people (BMI >30) to do home HD between 2001 and 2009. Patients stayed on the treatment for an average of 43.7 months.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Outcomes of extended-hours HD (mainly at home)

Among 286 people in Australia who did 24 hours or more of HD per week (96% at home), survival was 98% for 1 year, 92% for 3 years, and 83% for 5 years. Technique survival was 90% for 1 year, 77% for 3 years, and 68% for 5 years. This study did find higher rates of access problems with more frequent HD, but there was no control group.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Longer or more-frequent HD normalizes mortality patterns

It has long been known that those on PD have an equal chance of dying on any day of the week—while standard in-center HD are much more likely to die on a Monday (or Tuesday with Tue-Thu-Sat treatments). A new study looking at 14,636 Australian registry deaths found that those who got more than 3 standard in-center treatments per week or did home HD were no more likely to die on a Monday (or Tuesday) than any other day.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-09-25)

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Are infections requiring hospitalization more common with PD or standard HD?

A study in Canada paired 910 people on PD with people on HD, matched by age, race, smoking, BMI, comorbid conditions, and lab data. After 2 years, researchers found that those on PD were more likely to be in the hospital for peritonitis—but less likely to have sepsis or pneumonia than those on standard HD.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-09-25)

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Reasons why patients prefer more HD

An in-depth, interview study of 10 short daily or nocturnal HD patients in Canada found four main reasons why they liked their choice. 1) They felt better physically and mentally. 2) They felt more in control of their time. 3) They didn't feel "sick" and were more able to work. 4) They had the support they needed to succeed.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-09-25)

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A "self-locating" PD catheter

The Di Paolo self-locating PD catheter was tested in 20 patients in Italy. The researchers found no infections, and only 0.8% dislocated catheters—vs. 12% for Tenkhoff PD catheters.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-09-25)

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