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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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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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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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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PD in older patients

This study from Ireland looked at 148 people over age 50 who started PD between 1998 and 2008. The mean age was 63; most were over 70. The researchers found no difference in survival or technique survival by age, though older people did need a longer hospital stay to get started on PD.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

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Short daily HD reduces left ventricular mass

The Frequent Hemodialysis Network trials found significant reductions in left ventricular mass (LVM)—with greater benefit for patients whose left ventricular mass was higher than normal at the start of the study.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

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Thrice-weekly nocturnal HD reduces arterial stiffness

A Turkish study compared 60 people on standard in-center HD to 60 on nocturnal in-center HD. After a year, those who did nocturnal HD needed fewer blood pressure meds, had lower serum calcium and calcium-phosphorus product, reduced left ventricular mass, and their arteries were less stiff.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

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Buttonhole needle technique causes less bleeding, pain

A small study in Thailand (21 patients') has found that stopping bleeding after removing dialysis needles takes less than half as long with the Buttonhole technique (4.19 +/- 1.66 mins) than with the rope ladder technique (9.12 +/- 2.36 mins), and causes significantly less pain.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

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Metaanalysis: Later dialysis start is better for HD

Starting dialysis at a lower GFR allows more time for access placement and options education. But the U.S. trend has been to start earlier. A new metaanalysis of 17 studies found that starting dialysis at a higher GFR was linked with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality—in HD, but not PD. The mortality risk was lower when GFR was calculated than when it was estimated.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

Tags: Chronic kidney disease

Metaanalysis: More HD boosts heart health

A metaanalysis of 46 studies concluded that switching from standard in-center HD to longer and/or more frequent HD significantly reduced left ventricular mass and improved blood pressure and the cardiac ejection fraction.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

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