The Impact of the Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative on Search Patterns of Home Dialysis Options.

The 2019 Advancing American Kidney Health (AAKH) initiative aims to increase utilization of home dialysis for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), but its impact on public awareness is unknown. We analyzed Google Trends data from 2013-2021 to compare relative search volumes for "home dialysis", "peritoneal dialysis", and "home hemodialysis" in the United States (US) versus globally before versus after the July 2019 AAKH announcement. An interrupted time-series analysis found steady pre-AAKH increases in search interest across terms and locations.

The cardiovascular unphysiology of thrice weekly hemodialysis.

Purpose Of Review: This review examines the unphysiological nature of conventional intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) and explores alternative dialysis modalities that more closely mimic natural kidney function. As cardiovascular complications remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients, understanding and addressing the limitations of IHD is crucial for improving outcomes.

Recent Findings: IHD's intermittent nature leads to significant fluctuations in metabolites, electrolytes, and fluid status, contributing to hemodynamic instability and increased cardiovascular risk.

COVID-19 Recovery Time and Its Predictors among Hospitalized Patients in Designated Hospitals in the Madhesh Province of Nepal: A Multicentric Study.

This study aimed to determine COVID-19 recovery time and identify predictors among hospitalized patients in the Dhanusha District of Madhesh Province, Nepal. This hospital-based longitudinal study involved 507 COVID-19 patients admitted to three distinct medical facilities for therapeutic intervention between April and October 2021. Data were collected for patient demography, symptoms, vital signs, oxygen saturation levels, temperatures, heart rates, respiratory rates, blood pressure measurements, and other health-related conditions.

Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia in a Newborn Baby.

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a narrow QRS complex tachyarrhythmia with a heart rate above 220 beats per minute in infants and children. Ventricular tachycardia can be due to electrolyte abnormalities, cardiomyopathies, congenital heart disease, myocarditis or drug toxicity. Incidence has been estimated to be 1 in 250 to 1 in 1000 with spontaneous resolution in infants by one year of life.

Safety and efficacy of same-day discharge for premature ventricular complex ablations.

Aims: Patients undergoing catheter ablation (CA) of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are generally observed overnight in the hospital given the concern for complications. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of same-day discharge (SDD) of patients undergoing elective CA of premature ventricular complexes (PVCs).

Methods And Results: A retrospective evaluation of all patients undergoing elective VA ablation at Ascension St Vincent Hospital from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019 was undertaken.

Pay-for-Performance Incentives for Home Dialysis Use and Kidney Transplant.

Importance: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' mandatory End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) model, launched on January 1, 2021, randomly assigned approximately 30% of US dialysis facilities and managing clinicians to financial incentives to increase the use of home dialysis and kidney transplant.

Objective: To assess the ETC's association with use of home dialysis and kidney transplant during the model's first 2 years and examine changes in these outcomes by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cross-sectional study used claims and enrollment data for traditional Medicare beneficiaries with kidney failure from 2017 to 2022 linked to same-period transplant data from the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Trends, Outcomes, and Economic Implications of Peritoneal Dialysis-Associated Peritonitis Hospitalizations: A National Cohort Study.

Introduction: Peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis (PDAP) is a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis, associated with significant morbidity, modality transition, and mortality. Here, we provide an update on the national burden of this significant complication, highlighting trends in demographics, treatment practices, and in-hospital outcomes of PDAP from 2016 to 2020.

Methods: Utilizing a national all-payer dataset of hospitalizations in the USA, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of PDAP from 2016 to 2020.

Nutrition in Peritoneal Dialysis.

The use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) has been associated with improved quality of life, cost-effectiveness, and better outcomes for patients with kidney failure. However, many patients utilizing PD for replacement therapy face numerous nutritional hurdles. As the use of PD continues to increase worldwide, malnutrition has become an increasingly recognized concern for patients undergoing PD.

Impact of Prior Abdominal Procedures on Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Outcomes: Findings From the North American Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Registry.

Rationale & Objective: A history of prior abdominal procedures may influence the likelihood of referral for peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter insertion. To guide clinical decision making in this population, this study examined the association between prior abdominal procedures and outcomes in patients undergoing PD catheter insertion.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

External Validation of the Oakland Score for Predicting Safe Discharge in Patients Presenting With Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding at the William Harvey Hospital in the United Kingdom.

Introduction Lower gastrointestinal bleeds (LGIB) are defined by having a bleeding point in the gastrointestinal tract beyond the ligament of Treitz. The most common causes include diverticular bleeds, tumours, and colitis. There are no National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines regarding safe discharge of patients with LGIB.

Folic acid: The key to a healthy pregnancy - A prospective study on fetomaternal outcome.

Objectives: The objective of the study is to study the fetomaternal outcome associated with folic acid deficiency in pregnancy.

Materials And Methods: This hospital-based observational study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt, and a total of 351 participants were enrolled who were fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The plasma folic acid level of the selected patients was measured in the booking visit by automated chemiluminescence assay.

Policy and Payment Decisions on Peritoneal Dialysis in the United States: A Review.

End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) accounts for a sizable proportion of Medicare spending. Peritoneal dialysis remains an underutilized treatment modality for ESKD despite its quality of life and cost-saving benefits. Medicare policy on reimbursements and patient eligibility for dialysis coverage has been amended numerous times since its inception in 1972.

Micrococcus Peritonitis Complicating Peritoneal Dialysis.

Peritonitis, a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD), can be caused by opportunistic pathogens like Micrococcus species on rare occasions. We present a case of Micrococcus sp peritonitis in a 55-year-old female with end-stage kidney disease on continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis for one year who presented with cloudy effluent. Initial treatment against Micrococcus sp with vancomycin, gentamicin, and prophylactic oral nystatin was successful.

Clearing the air: a review of the effects of air pollution on dialysis outcomes.

Purpose Of Review: An evolving body of literature indicates exposure to air pollutants is associated with adverse health outcomes in dialysis patients. As the prevalence of kidney disease increases, understanding the role of environmental agents on the health of dialysis patients is critical to reducing global morbidity and mortality.

Recent Findings: We identified 16 publications that investigated associations between pollutants including particulate matter (PM 2.

The Association of Intra-Abdominal Adhesions with Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter-Related Complications.

Background: This study investigated the association of intra-abdominal adhesions with the risk of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter complications.

Methods: Individuals undergoing laparoscopic PD catheter insertion were prospectively enrolled from eight centers in Canada and the United States. Patients were grouped based on the presence of adhesions observed during catheter insertion.

Characteristics of registered research in peritoneal dialysis: Past and present.

Recent national policy changes in the United States and the continued growth of peritoneal dialysis (PD) as a therapy for end-stage kidney disease has renewed interest in this modality. The objective of this study was to describe the current landscape of PD clinical trials to assess trends and gaps in clinical research. An advanced search was completed through ClinicalTrials.

Heating up: climate change and the threat to human health.

Purpose Of Review: This review discusses the urgency of addressing human-caused climate change and its impacts on health and the environment.

Recent Findings: The latest evidence shows that current climate changes are primarily attributable to greenhouse gas emissions from human industrial activity. Exceeding 1.