Journal Watch
A Post-op Surgical Girdle for Pain and Catheter Tunnel Infections in Urgent Start PD
Urgent start PD can be associated with pain and tunnel infections. In a study of 85 consecutive PD catheter placements, a surgical girdle was used from days 1-3 while patients were supine. Among the 23 patients who completed pain surveys, the girdle helped significantly. Tunnel infections were reduced as well.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-11-16)
Tags: Urgent Start PD, Pain, Tunnel Infection, PD Catheter, Surgical Girdle
Home Dialysis “Virtual Ward” Addresses Gaps in Care Transitions
Following hospital discharge, a procedure, antibiotics, or completion of home training, 2 weeks of telephonic follow-up was provided to 193 PD or home HD patients as a “home dialysis virtual ward” (HDVW). The HDVW identified a median of 1 care gap per patient, with newer patients at higher risk of gaps. Patients were highly satisfied with the HDVW.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-11-16)
Tags: Home Dialysis, Home Dialysis Virtual Ward, HDVW, Care Gap
Transplant Survival Better After PD Than Standard In-center HD
Is there an advantage to PD over standard in-center HD for transplant graft survival? YES, suggests a 15-year retrospective study of 2,277 transplant recipients. Those who did PD prior to transplant were 34.5% more likely to survive, and had less frequent rejection. Living donor kidneys did best among patients who received transplants before starting dialysis—or did PD.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-11-16)
Tags: Kidney Transplant, Modality, PD, HD, Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis
PD vs. Standard In-center HD for Quality of Life
A 24-month observational study compared 45 standard HD and 30 PD patients, and assessed their quality of life, cognitive function, and depression at study start and every 12 months. Over the 24 months, PD patients had significant improvement in physical and social well-being—while HD patients stayed the same. Cognitive function held steady in PD patients—but declined in HD patients. Depression increased among those on standard HD—but not those on PD.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-11-16)
Tags: Peritoneal Dialysis, Hemodialysis, Cognitive Function, Emotional Distress, Quality Of Life
Proton Pump Inhibitors Increase Peritonitis Risk in PD
In a single-center, 36-month retrospective look at 230 Japanese PD patients, those who took PPIs were 72% more likely to develop peritonitis than those who did not.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-11-16)
Tags: PD, PPIs, Peritonitis, Proton Pump Inhibitors
PD Outcomes under the Medicare Expanded Dialysis Prospective Payment System
A Medicare change in 2011 may have increased the likelihood that clinics would expand PD to a broader population. Did this affect outcomes? A prospective cohort study compared 10,585 patients who started PD before payment reform, 7,832 interim patients, and 18,742 during the reform period. With similar demographics, more patients were treated in clinics with less PD experience—and these clinics had higher PD discontinuation rates. But, PD discontinuation fell overall, and mortality risk was stable.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-10-14)
Tags: Expanded Dialysis Prospective Payment System, PD, Medicare
PD and Swimming
Australian nurses in 39 PD clinics conducted phone surveys. While only 77% of the clinics advocated swimming, nearly all had patients who did swim, mainly in sea water or a private pool. Covering the exit site and catheter with a waterproof dressing or ostomy bag was recommended, along with routine exit-site care. Several infections were linked with swimming.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-10-14)
Tags: PD, Swimming, Exit Site, Waterproof, Infections
The Role of Frailty in Home Dialysis
Evaluation of frailty among 109 home dialysis patients revealed a greater than 2-fold increase in risk of a composite outcome that included technique failure and all-cause death. Weakness and weight loss were both linked with higher risk. “Assessing frailty as part of the clinical evaluation for home dialysis therapies may be useful for prognostication and clinical management,” report the authors.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-10-14)
Tags: Frailty, Home Dialysis, All cause Death
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in PD vs. HD
A Korean registry analysis of 132,083 dialysis patients between 1985 and 2017 found that SCD caused 19.6% of the 34,632 deaths. Even after adjusting for age and significant comorbidities, HD was independently associated with SCD, as was diabetes.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-10-14)
Tags: SCD, Sudden Cardiac Death, PD, HD
Is PD a Good Option for Patients with Liver Cirrhosis?
A study matched patients with cirrhosis who did PD, patients with cirrhosis who did HD, and non-cirrhosis patients on PD by age, sex, catheter placement date, and diabetes status. PD technique failure and all-cause mortality were similar between patients with and without cirrhosis.
Read the abstract » | (added 2019-10-14)