Journal Watch

  • Do Pets Boost the Risk of Peritonitis on PD? A DOPPS Study

    Surprisingly, the answer was no. Among 3,655 PD patients from eight country followed for a median of 14 months (55,475 patient months), the peritonitis rate was 0.29 episodes per year, with no increased risk for pet ownership—except in households with both cats and dogs, where the risk was 45% higher.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2023-01-10)

    Tags: Pets, Peritonitis, PD, DOPPS

  • Next Gen Sorbent Dialysis: Oral Sorbents with Carbon Block Columns?

    Innovator Steven Ash is reimagining sorbent, as regenerating dialysate is complex. He is testing an oral sorbent to bind potassium, sodium, hydrogen, and ammonium, in animals. Carbon block columns can then bind organic and middle molecule toxins, and Ash believes the two technologies could simplify dialysis.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-12-19)

    Tags: Oral Sorbent, Uremic Toxins, Carbon Block

  • Serum albumin at 1 Year Predicts Long-term CAPD Outcomes

    Among 436 patients using CAPD and followed for at least a year (48.25 + 24.05 months), each 1 g/dL increase in serum albumin at 1 year after PD start reduced the risk of death by 8.7%.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-12-19)

    Tags: Peritoneal Dialysis , Serum Albumin, CAPD, Mortality

  • Home HD Begins in Mainland China

    Intrigued by observational studies suggesting better survival for home HD than in-center HD or PD—and reduced COVID exposure—a clinic in China established a training center and enrolled six patients. Patients were monitored by home visits, online, and by outpatient services. After an average of 16 months of training, three patients began independent dialysis at home, with no serious adverse events. Blood levels remained stable.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-12-19)

    Tags: Home HD, In center HD, PD, Infection, Mainland China

  • Cycler vs. Manual PD for Survival

    A systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 17 studies of more than 230,000 people for PD failure and all-cause mortality with cycler vs. manual PD. Both options had equivalent PD technique failure. But, there was a significant survival advantage for automated cycler PD.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-12-19)

    Tags: Peritoneal Dialysis, PD, Modality, Automated Peritoneal Dialysis, APD, Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis, CAPD, All cause Mortality, ACM, PD Failure, Survival

  • Incremental PD (IPD) and Preservation of Residual Kidney Function

    A single-center, retrospective study of IPD vs. standard PD (SPD) examined data from 87 patients, about 2/3 on IPD, with a median follow up of 23 months. IPD was associated with longer technique survival and significantly higher GFRs at 6 months and after 24 months.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-12-19)

    Tags: Incremental PD, IPD, Residual Kidney Function, Technique Survival

  • U.S Nephrologists on When to Start Dialysis

    While clinical practice guidelines recommend starting dialysis mainly on signs and symptoms, almost half of 255 nephrologists surveyed relied solely on eGFR. For them, a level of 8.4 meant dialysis—even in the absence of symptoms.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-12-19)

    Tags: Medical Management, Dialysis Initiation, EGFR

  • Impact of a 1-hour Discussion on Choice of a Home Dialysis Option

    Of 620 incident dialysis patients in Japan from 2013 to 2021, 128 received a 1-hour discussion of treatment options. The discussion group had a tendency for fewer urgent hospitalizations—and had a significantly higher chance of choosing PD (30.7% vs. 9.4%).

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-11-16)

    Tags: Patient Education, Dialysis Modality, Treatment Options

  • Nephrologist-owned Dialysis Clinics and Home Therapies

    A study of the USRDS data set looked at ownership of adult dialysis clinics in 2017 caring for 251,651 patients. Those in nephrologist-owned clinics had a 2.4% higher probably of home dialysis, a 2.2% lower probability of receiving an ESA, and no significant difference in anemia treatment.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-11-16)

    Tags: Nephrologist owned Clinics, Clinical Outcomes

  • Extended HD and Nutrition

    An attempt to do a metaanalysis of the literature on the impact of daily and nocturnal HD (15+ hours per week) on nutritional status failed due to lack of sufficient high quality papers. In five studies of nocturnal and/or daily HD—three in-center and two at home—lean body mass improved significantly and one study found deficiency in water-soluble vitamins.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2022-11-16)

    Tags: Extended Hemodialysis, Nutrition, Lean Body Mass