Echocardiographic changes after arteriovenous fistula creation in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and is associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in this group. There is scarce data on the long-term effect of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation on pulmonary hypertension (PH) and the reflected changes in echocardiographic measurements.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective study of 54 patients who underwent AVF creation between 2009 and 2014 and with echocardiographic evaluations before and after surgery.

An atypical case of hemodialysis access stent migration.

Endovascular stent fractures are commonly seen in arteries but are rare events in the venous system. Stents deployed in hemodialysis vascular accesses can fracture and migrate to proximal locations. Complications associated with stent fracture include in-stent stenosis and central vein stenosis.

Acute interstitial nephritis following treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents in hepatitis C virus-infected patients: A case series.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been associated with several extrahepatic adverse clinical outcomes, including an accelerated rate of loss of kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and an increased mortality in patients with CKD and kidney failure on hemodialysis. Clinical trials using direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents have uniformly achieved sustained viral response at 12 weeks (SVR) rates of > 90% in the general population as well as in patients with CKD/kidney failure on hemodialysis. Sofosbuvir is a DAA prodrug that is phosphorylated into the active metabolite GS-461203, with subsequent dephosphorylation into the inactive metabolite GS-331007.

Vitamin B1 for type B metabolic acidosis: An underrecognized approach.

Lactic acidosis is a life-threatening and rather common complication and reason for consultation to the nephrologist. The cause for this condition is usually thought to be secondary to hypoperfusion and ischemia collectively. However, many other rare causes have been described, yet there is little awareness of these, consequently delaying optimal care.

Arteriovenous fistula outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients.

Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) remodeling is an active area of research in vascular biology given the high rates of primary failure, complications, and cost burden for the health-care system. Comorbidities such as diabetes and different types of vascular disease are known to influence AVFs outcomes. However, little is known about the effects of immunosuppression, particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, on AVF primary failure and patency.

Assessment of left ventricular mass changes after arteriovenous fistula surgical banding in end-stage renal disease.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a multifactorial complication frequently seen in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. An arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred method for hemodialysis access. Once functional, AVFs demonstrate better patency rates and fewer complications when compared to other forms of vascular access.

Treatment and management options for the hepatitis C virus infected kidney transplant candidate.

A substantial body of literature has unequivocally established that prevalent hepatitis C virus infection in chronic kidney disease (CKD), end stage renal disease (ESRD) and kidney transplant recipients is associated with a negative impact on patient survival. As a consequence of remarkable work that explained the details of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome, a class of drugs referred to as the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents were developed that targeted specific key sites in viral replication. Large clinical trials in the HCV-infected general population followed soon after that demonstrated cure rates exceeding 95%.

The potential role of complements in cocaine-induced thrombotic microangiopathy.

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a rare disorder characterized by microvascular injury and occlusion resulting in tissue ischemia and dysfunction. TMA occurs in a variety of settings including cocaine use. Although cocaine is widely used in the United States, cocaine-associated TMA is only rarely reported.

Phaeohyphomycosis due to Exophiala infections in solid organ transplant recipients: Case report and literature review.

This case report and literature review underscores the cutaneous presentations of phaeohyphomycosis in the solid organ transplant population. Increased cognizance with prompt identification is critical. The therapy and clinical outcomes of phaeohyphomycosis, caused by the Exophiala genus, in the solid organ transplant population, is analyzed to examine optimal care.