Journal Watch
Benefits of Remote PD Monitoring
Compared to 38 standard care PD patients, 35 who received remote monitoring (RM) for 6 months had better outcomes despite higher Charlson Comorbidity scores. The RM group lived further from the clinic or had mobility issues, but were more satisfied with their care, and they had fewer emergency room visits and nephrology-related hospitalizations.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-12-10)
Tags: Quality Of Life, Remote Monitoring
Exercise May Improve Residual Kidney Function in PD
A post-hoc study of a 12-week randomized controlled trial of home exercise for PD patients eliminated those with anuria (n=18) and analyzed 13 patients in the usual care group and 16 in the exercise group. Two RKF markers, liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) and the microalbumin-to-creatinine ratio, were significantly lower in the exercise group.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-12-10)
Nephrology Fellows Not Ready for Home Dialysis
Even nephrology fellows attending home dialysis conferences did not feel prepared to care for PD or home HD patients, finds a small study. Of 110 attendees, 76 (66%) completed a survey about their confidence with regard to management of home dialysis. Most were “moderately” confident about PD principles—though just 11% had seen a PD catheter insertion, and only 3% had initiated a patient on urgent start PD. Most had “low” confidence in their ability to manage home hemodialysis.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-12-10)
Complications in Planned vs. Unplanned Peritoneal Dialysis Starts
A metaanalysis of 14 papers totalling 2,401 PD patients looked at the outcomes and safety of unplanned PD starts within 7 days of catheter placement vs. 7-14 days. Early-start PD was linked with more leaks, omental wrap, and—for CAPD—catheter malposition. There were no significant differences in infectious complications, but the risk of transition to HD and mortality were higher. More studies are needed.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-11-12)
Which Form of PD Has a Higher Risk of Peritonitis?
If you guessed CAPD because there are more exchanges to perform, you are correct, finds a study that matched 106 APD to 106 CAPD patients and followed them for 3 years. During the study period, there were 64 cases of peritonitis, and the risk was 30% higher among those who did CAPD.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-11-12)
Tags: PD, Peritoneal Dialysis, CAPD
Quanta SC+ Efficacy and Safety
A human factors test of the Quanta SC+ of 60 patients in the UK (1,333 treatments) using conventional, thrice weekly schedules had no serious adverse events. Ultrafiltration was within acceptable limits.The threshold standardized Kt/V was exceeded in 94% of treatments, and in 97.6% of patients who did not have significantly residual kidney function.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-11-12)
PD vs. HD for Quality of Life
Eleven studies from 2000 to 2019 (N=3,711) comparing PD with in-center HD (ICHD), PD vs. home HD, ICHD vs. self-care ICHD, ICHD vs. home HD, and various home HD modalities with each other were analyzed to determine the impact of modality on quality of life. PD was favored in some domains, while ICHD was favored in others. Home HD was rated significantly higher than ICHD for some domains.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-11-12)
Tags: Dialysis, Dialysis Choice, PD, HD
Warming PD Fluid to Body Temperature Does Not Improve Clearance
There may not be a clear benefit to warming PD fluid to body temperature, suggests a small (N=18) single blind randomized controlled trial. Participants were assigned to have a peritoneal equilibrium test with fluid at 37°C or warmed with conventional methods. The two groups had similar outcomes for peritoneal clearance, abdominal discomfort, body temperature, blood pressure, and other parameters.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-11-12)
Survival Benefit of More HD Hours is Not Sustained After a Switch Back to Standard
In the ACTIVE Dialysis trial, 200 standard HD patients were randomized to receive usual care (median of 12 hours of HD/week) or extended hours (median of 24 hours of HD/week) for 12 months, with follow up through 60 months. After the 12 months, intervention group participants were switched back to usual care. At 5 years, there was no difference between the groups in all-cause mortality.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-10-12)
Tags: Dialysis, End stage Kidney Disease
Pilot: Chlorhexidine-impregnated Sponge Dressings to Prevent Exit Site Infections
In a single-center study, 50 incident PD patients were taught to use a weekly chlorhexidine dressing on their exit sites, and followed for a year. While 12% developed contact dermatitis, 73% found the dressings acceptable. Episodes per patient year of exit-site/tunnel infections and peritonitis were 0.09 and 0.07, respectively, while 1-year technique and patient survival rates were 86% and 96%, respectively.
Read the abstract » | (added 2020-10-12)
Tags: Chlorhexidine Dressing, Exit site Infection, Peritoneal Dialysis