Reliability of delivered dialysate sodium concentration.

Background The results of studies investigating the effects of hyponatraemic dialysates have been mixed, with some reporting positive effects including reduction in blood pressure and inter-dialytic weight gains, whereas others have not been able to demonstrate any effect. These studies assume that setting a lower dialysate sodium results in the delivery of a hyponatraemic dialysate. We therefore measured delivered sodium to determine reliability.

Monitoring tissue perfusion, oxygenation, and metabolism in critically ill patients.

Alterations in oxygen transport and use are integral to the development of multiple organ failure; therefore, the ultimate goal of resuscitation is to restore effective tissue oxygenation and cellular metabolism. Hemodynamic monitoring is the cornerstone of management to promptly identify and appropriately manage (impending) organ dysfunction. Prospective randomized trials have confirmed outcome benefit when preemptive or early treatment is directed toward maintaining or restoring adequate tissue perfusion.

Hemodialysis access-related survival and morbidity in an elderly population in South West Thames, UK.

Elderly patients form the most rapidly expanding group of hemodialysis (HD) patients in Europe and the United States. There are initiatives to promote an increase in arteriovenous fistula (AVF) formation. There are concerns that elderly patients may have lower rates of surgical vascular access compared with younger patients due to risks of higher co-morbidities, surgical complications, and higher AVF nonuse rates.

Pharmacogenetics of immunosuppressive drugs: prospect of individual therapy for transplant patients.

The immunosuppressive drugs used in solid-organ transplantation are potent and toxic agents with narrow therapeutic ranges. Underdosing is associated with immunological rejection of the transplanted organ, whereas overdosing results in infections, malignancy and direct toxicity to a number of organs. Pharmacokinetic heterogeneity makes initial dose determination difficult, as there is a poor correlation between dose and blood concentration.

Dialysis or not? A comparative survival study of patients over 75 years with chronic kidney disease stage 5.

Background: The number of elderly patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 is steadily increasing. Evidence is needed to inform decision-making for or against dialysis, especially in those patients with multiple comorbid conditions for whom dialysis may not increase survival. We therefore compared survival of elderly patients with CKD stage 5, managed either with dialysis or conservatively (without dialysis), after the management decision had been made, and explored which of several key variables were independently associated with survival.