Effect of adding vildagliptin to insulin in haemodialysed patients with type 2 diabetes: The VILDDIAL study, a randomized, multicentre, prospective study.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of adding the dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitor vildagliptin to insulin on the glycaemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing haemodialysis.

Methods: Overall, 65 insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing haemodialysis (HbA1c: 7.3% ± 1.

Results of the HepZero study comparing heparin-grafted membrane and standard care show that heparin-grafted dialyzer is safe and easy to use for heparin-free dialysis.

Heparin is used to prevent clotting during hemodialysis, but heparin-free hemodialysis is sometimes needed to decrease the risk of bleeding. The HepZero study is a randomized, multicenter international controlled open-label trial comparing no-heparin hemodialysis strategies designed to assess non-inferiority of a heparin grafted dialyzer (NCT01318486). A total of 251 maintenance hemodialysis patients at increased risk of hemorrhage were randomly allocated for up to three heparin-free hemodialysis sessions using a heparin-grafted dialyzer or the center standard-of-care consisting of regular saline flushes or pre-dilution.

[Focusing on peritoneal dialysis adequacy].

The optimal method to assess the adequacy of peritoneal dialysis therapies is controversial. Today, the adequacy must not be considered as a number or a concept assessed only by two parameters (total KT/V urea and total solute clearance) but defined by many more items. In the absence of data, based on theoretical considerations, the reanalysis of the CANUSA study showed that renal kidney function, rather than peritoneal clearance, was associated with improved survival.

Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability is a strong predictor of cardiovascular events in hemodialysis: insights from FOSIDIAL.

Optimal blood pressure (BP) targets are still controversial in end-stage renal disease. Recent data have highlighted shortcomings of the usual BP hypothesis in other patient populations and emphasized the importance of visit-to-visit variability of BP in predicting cardiovascular events. The Fosinopril in Dialysis Study failed to demonstrate the efficacy of 2-year angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition with fosinopril versus placebo in 397 hemodialysis patients with left ventricular hypertrophy but provided an opportunity to assess the influence of BP variability on cardiovascular events.

Formulation of a dry weight bioimpedance index in hemodialysis patients.

Hydration status has a major impact on hemodialysis (HD) patients. Overhydration is related to hypertension, pulmonary and peripheral edema, and other cardiovascular events; while dehydration is related to hypotension, and other severe ischemic symptoms. All result in increased morbidity and mortality.

Impact of free light chain hemodialysis in myeloma cast nephropathy: a case-control study.

New very high permeability dialysis membranes have been developed to enable the clearance of free light chains in myeloma cast nephropathy. These new dialysis techniques, in combination with chemotherapy, should allow improved prognosis in patients with myeloma cast nephropathy. We report a prospective observational study comparing patients who underwent hemodialysis in our center in 2009 for cast nephropathy revealing multiple myeloma vs.

[Segmental arterial mediolysis and renovascular hypertension].

Segmental arterial mediolysis (SAM) is a rare nonarteriosclerotic, noninflammatory vascular disease of unknown origin that causes vascular occlusion or massive life-threatening intraabdominal hemorrhages. SAM is an acute disease. The initial injurious phase consist in mediolysis, then evolves in chronic vascular lesions.

[Workload during hemodialysis sessions].

In recent years, the population of dialysis patients has become frailer and older. Patients present with more comorbid conditions and experience more complications during their follow-up. The aim of the present study is to describe the workload of the dialysis center during hemodialysis sessions and determine whether comorbidities are associated with increased workload.

Cardiac impact of the arteriovenous fistula after kidney transplantation: a case-controlled, match-paired study.

In kidney transplant (KT) recipients, cardiac impact of the persistence of an asymptomatic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis has not been fully elucidated. Seventy-six patients (mean age: 49 years) without history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease underwent an echocardiography. Thirty-eight had a functioning AVF and were match-paired for age, gender and KT duration.