New index more accurate than Kt/V for PD “adequacy”

It’s no secret that we at Home Dialysis Central are not fans of Kt/V for HD (or the concept of “adequacy”). A new European study suggests that Kt/V is not useful for PD, either (because it does not account for protein intake), and has tested a substitute index that works better.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-05-09)

Tags: Home dialysis

Gene therapy via nanoparticles reduces peritoneal fibrosis in mice

Gene therapies may reduce peritoneal fibrosis—a leading cause of PD failure. Delivering transforming growth factor using nanoparticles worked in a mouse study.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-05-09)

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Dosage of Tamiflu® for people on PD

A new study finds that a single, 75mg dose of oseltamivir may be enough for people on PD who don’t have residual kidney function. The more residual function people had, the more efficiently the drug was removed—so more was needed for an optimal response.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-05-09)

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Ultrasound can measure peritoneal wall thickness in children

Fibrosis of the peritoneum can cause PD failure. But, peritoneal wall thickness can be measured with a painless ultrasound. The results can assess whether the peritoneum is changing over time.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-05-09)

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Education can change negative nurse attitudes toward home dialysis

In-center HD nurses tend to prefer…in-center HD. But, their negative attitudes toward home treatments can be modified, a new study shows. In Canada, a 3-hour educational session with CE credits on the benefits of home treatments, myths about patient eligibility, costs, and a testimonial video did the trick.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-05-09)

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Home hemodialysis needs you! Special Kidney International supplement.

A special supplement of Kidney International focuses on how to implement home hemodialysis, from policies and procedures to equipment, recruitment, safety, prescription, staffing, and more—from global experts. Don't miss it!

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-05-09)

Tags: Home dialysis

Glucose challenge test (GCT) detects glucose metabolism disorders in PD

When glucose-based PD fluid is used, it can be a challenge to see if there are blood sugar issues. In 20 people on PD who did not have a history of diabetes, an initial GCT detected impaired glucose tolerance in eleven and diabetes mellitus in four. About 2 years later, twelve patients had glucose metabolism disorders—but none had diabetes.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-05-09)

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Metanalysis of low-glucose PD fluid and residual kidney function

An analysis of six randomized controlled trials of neutral pH, low-glucose PD fluids has found that patients who used these fluids had a much slower rate of residual kidney function loss and much higher weekly Kt/Vs than those using standard PD fluids. There were no significant differences between groups in ultrafiltration, blood pressure, or all-cause mortality.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-04-10)

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Biocompatible PD fluid reduces cell death due to inflammation

In time, the peritoneum (just one cell layer thick) can wear out when used for PD. A new study finds that peritoneal cells in petri dishes bathed in standard PD fluid were more likely to die due to inflammation caused by glucose. But, cells bathed in biocompatible fluids were protected from the damage. In humans, this means that the peritoneum may last longer.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-04-10)

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Icodextrin reduces PD failure and boosts survival

In a prospective trial of 306 incident PD patients between 2007 and 2011, those who used icodextrin were significantly more likely to continue with PD and more likely to live longer than those who used standard PD fluid.

Read the abstract » | (added 2015-04-10)

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