Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is effective for patients with severe congestive heart failure.

Although the use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) to treat refractory heart failure is not new, in combination with current medical treatment it improves patients'symptoms as well as their cardiac function. We started 16 patients (13 men with a mean age of 66.3 +/- 2.

Systemic capillary leak syndrome.

Systemic capillary leak syndrome (SCLS) is characterized by recurrent hypovolemic shock attributable to increased systemic capillary leakage. A 46-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of recurrent episodes of generalized edema with hypovolemic shock. Blood laboratory data revealed severe hypoproteinemia with a small monoclonal IgG-kappa protein.

The effects of antihypertensive agents on the survival rate of polycystic kidney disease in Han:SPRD rats.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary renal disorder in humans. Hypertension is one of the major complications, and its control might affect the renal survival and disease mortality. Suitable antihypertensive agents have been discussed based on clinical and animal studies, but no definitive conclusion has been reached.

Continuous hemodiafiltration with polymyxin-B immobilized fiber is effective in patients with sepsis syndrome and acute renal failure.

The aim of this study was first, to evaluate the effects of continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) alone or combined with CHDF and polymyxin-B immobilized fiber (PMX) on survival rates of patients with sepsis and acute renal failure, and second, to evaluate the changes in plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines before and after treatment with CHDF and PMX and CHDF alone in these patients. Forty-eight patients with septic shock and acute renal failure were enrolled in this study. The survival rate of all patients at 28 days was 25% for those with CHDF and 75% for those with PMX and CHDF treatment.

Intensive blood pressure reduction is beneficial in patients with impaired cardiac function coexisting with chronic renal insufficiency.

Both in CHF (congestive heart failure) and CRI (chronic renal insufficiency), blood pressure reduction is beneficial for preservation of cardiac and renal function. However, it is uncertain how much blood pressure reduction is appropriate in patients with both CHF and coexisting CRI. In the present study, we examined whether intensive blood pressure reduction is more beneficial in these patients than the usually accepted level of reduction.