Associations between echocardiographic findings and prospective changes in residual renal function in patients new to peritoneal dialysis.

Although echocardiograms are often performed when peritoneal dialysis is started, associations between commonly reported findings and prospective changes in renal function remain understudied. Ninety-nine of 101 patients in the Trio Trial had transthoracic echocardiograms within 6 months of dialysis initiation, and measurements of residual renal function every six weeks for up to two years. Generalized mixed modelling linear regression in STATA was used to examine associations between left atrial size, left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular ejection fraction, right ventricular systolic pressure, and left valvular calcification with subsequent slopes in renal function.

Variability in CKD stage in outpatients followed in two large renal clinics.

Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is staged by glomerular filtration rate (GFR). CKD stages sometimes vary between routine office visits, and it is unknown if this impacts renal and patient survival separately from a cross-sectional CKD stage value. We quantified and categorized CKD stage variability in a large group of outpatients and correlated this with clinical and demographic features and with renal and patient survival.

Use of PTFE stent grafts for hemodialysis-related central venous occlusions: intermediate-term results.

Purpose: To assess the safety and effectiveness of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) encapsulated nitinol stents (Bard Peripheral Vascular, Tempe, AZ) for treatment of hemodialysis-related central venous occlusions.

Materials And Methods: Study design was a single-center nonrandomized retrospective cohort of patients from May 2004 to August 2009 for a total of 64 months. There were 14 patients (mean age 60 years, range 50-83 years; 13 male, 1 female).

Ultrahigh-pressure angioplasty versus the Peripheral Cutting Balloon™ for treatment of stenoses in autogenous fistulas: comparison of immediate results.

Purpose: To compare the immediate results of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) balloons vs. peripheral cutting balloons (PCB) for the treatment of stenoses associated with autogenous fistulas using intra-access blood flow measurements.

Materials And Methods: This prospective randomized study consisted of 22 hemodialysis (HD) patients with autogenous fistulas who had decreased intra-access blood flow (<500 mL/min).

Peritoneal dialysis in the nursing home.

Unlabelled: The mean age of patients with end-stage renal disease increases steadily. The elderly on dialysis have significant comorbidity and require extra attention to meet their dialysis, dietary, and social needs, and some may need to be treated at a long-term care facility such as a nursing home (NH). Providing dialysis and caring for elderly patients in a nursing home (NH) presents a number of challenges.

Improvement in eGFR in patients with chronic kidney disease attending a nephrology clinic.

Background: The adverse effects arising from late referral to a nephrologist of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are well known. Retrospectively we examined the initial characteristics of patients referred in various stages of CKD to our nephrology division and tried to identify potential baseline factors associated with subsequent changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Patients And Methods: Between September 1997 and June 2006 1,443 patients (909 male, 534 female) with CKD, with eGFRs ranging from 15 to 89 ml/min, were referred to our nephrology division and categorized using the National Kidney Foundation classification for CKD based on eGFR.