Rate of Decline of Kidney Function, Modality Choice, and Survival in Elderly Patients with Advanced Kidney Disease.

Aim: In elderly, dependent patients with advanced chronic kidney disease, dialysis may confer only a small survival advantage over conservative kidney management (CKM). We investigated the role of rate of decline of kidney function on treatment choices and survival.

Methods: We identified a retrospective (1995-2010) cohort of patients aged over 75 years, with progressive kidney impairment and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 10 and 15 ml/min/1.

Conservative care for ESRD in the United Kingdom: a national survey.

Background And Objectives: Conservative kidney management (CKM) has been developed in the United Kingdom (UK) as an alternative to dialysis for older patients with stage 5 CKD (CKD5) and multiple comorbidities. This national survey sought to describe the current scale and pattern of delivery of conservative care in UK renal units and identify their priorities for its future development.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: A survey on practice patterns of CKM for patients age 75 and older with CKD5 was sent to clinical directors of all 71 adult renal units in the UK in March 2013.

A multi-centre qualitative study exploring the experiences of UK South Asian and white diabetic patients referred for renal care.

Background: An exploration of renal complications of diabetes from the patient perspective is important for developing quality care through the diabetic renal disease care pathway.

Methods: Newly referred South Asian and White diabetic renal patients over 16 years were recruited from nephrology outpatient clinics in three UK centres--Luton, West London and Leicester--and their experiences of the diabetes and renal care recorded.A semi-structured qualitative interview was conducted with 48 patients.

Blood pressure levels and mortality risk among hemodialysis patients in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study.

KDOQI practice guidelines recommend predialysis blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg; however, most prior studies had found elevated mortality with low, not high, systolic blood pressure. This is possibly due to unmeasured confounders affecting systolic blood pressure and mortality. To lessen this bias, we analyzed 24,525 patients by Cox regression models adjusted for patient and facility characteristics.

Home haemodialysis: trends in technology.

Self management and home-based dialysis therapies offer the prospect of improved patient experience and outcomes. To allow more patients to realize these benefits requires changes in technology which focus on maximizing the ease and minimizing the burdens of undertaking home dialysis. These developments are underway.

Lack of awareness of kidney complications despite familiarity with diabetes: a multi-ethnic qualitative study.

Background: Comparing South Asians with White Europeans and examining the cultural context of any observed differences is a necessary step in achieving culturally competent services and in helping to reduce inequalities which exist in outcomes for South Asian patients with End Stage Renal Disease.

Methods: Newly referred South Asian and White adult patients with diabetes were recruited from nephrology outpatient clinics in three UK centres--Luton, West London and Leicester. A semi-structured qualitative interview was conducted with 48 patients and a thematic analysis of the data produced is reported.

Survival of elderly patients with stage 5 CKD: comparison of conservative management and renal replacement therapy.

Background: Elderly patients with end-stage renal disease and severe extra-renal comorbidity have a poor prognosis on renal replacement therapy (RRT) and may opt to be managed conservatively (CM). Information on the survival of patients on this mode of therapy is limited.

Methods: We studied survival in a large cohort of CM patients in comparison to patients who received RRT.

Optimizing home dialysis: role of hemodiafiltration.

Over the last 40 years the technical obstacles which prevented a convective contribution to diffusive dialysis have been overcome. Hemodiafiltration represents a natural evolution of intermittent extracorporeal blood purification and the technology is now available to offer this as standard treatment in-center. The first randomized control trial of dialysis dose (National Cooperative Dialysis Study) showed that for three times weekly dialysis a critical level of urea clearance was necessary to ensure complication-free survival, the effect being noticeable by 3 months.

Long-term outcomes in online hemodiafiltration and high-flux hemodialysis: a comparative analysis.

Background And Objectives: Theoretical advantages exist of online hemodiafiltration (HDF) over high-flux hemodialysis (HD), but outcome data are scarce. Our objective was to compare outcomes between these modalities.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: We studied 858 incident patients in our incremental high-flux HD and online HDF program during an 18-yr period.

Greater first-year survival on hemodialysis in facilities in which patients are provided earlier and more frequent pre-nephrology visits.

Background And Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between pre-nephrology visit (PNV) and 1-yr patient survival after hemodialysis (HD) induction.

Design, Setting Participants, & Measurements: Data were analyzed from 8500 incident HD patients (on HD View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Residual renal function improves outcome in incremental haemodialysis despite reduced dialysis dose.

Background And Methods: The importance of residual renal function is well recognized in peritoneal dialysis but its role in haemodialysis (HD) has received much less attention. We studied 650 incident patients in our incremental high-flux HD programme over a 15-year period. Target total Kt/V urea (dialysis plus residual renal) was 1.

The survival advantage for haemodialysis patients taking vitamin D is questioned: findings from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study.

Background: Retrospective studies of haemodialysis patients from large dialysis organizations in the United States have indicated that intravenous vitamin D may be associated with a survival benefit. However, patients prescribed vitamin D are generally healthier than those who are not, suggesting that treatment by indication may have biased previous findings. Additionally, no survival benefit associated with vitamin D has been shown in a recent meta-analysis in CKD patients.

Factors associated with health-related quality of life among hemodialysis patients in the DOPPS.

Objective: To identify modifiable factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among chronic hemodialysis patients.

Methods: Analysis of baseline data of 9,526 hemodialysis patients from seven countries enrolled in phase I of the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS). Using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF(TM)), we determined scores for 8 generic scale summaries derived from these scales, i.

International differences in dialysis mortality reflect background general population atherosclerotic cardiovascular mortality.

Existing national, racial, and ethnic differences in dialysis patient mortality rates largely are unexplained. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that mortality rates related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in dialysis populations (DP) and in the background general populations (GP) are correlated. In a cross-sectional, multinational study, all-cause and ASCVD mortality rates were compared between GP and DP using the most recent data from the World Health Organization mortality database (67 countries; 1,571,852,000 population) and from national renal registries (26 countries; 623,900 population).

Large variations in prescriptions of gastrointestinal medications in hemodialysis patients on three continents: the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).

Little is known about proton pump inhibitor (PPI) or H(2) receptor antagonist (HA) prescription patterns or regarding use of predictors in hemodialysis patients. Proton pump inhibitor and HA prescribing patterns were investigated in 8628 hemodialysis patients from seven countries enrolled in the prospective, observational Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study. Logistic regression examined predictors associated with PPI and HA use, adjusting for age, sex, country, time with end-stage renal disease, medications, 14 comorbid conditions, and the association between the number of comorbid conditions and the prescription of gastrointestinal (GI) medications.

Selected lessons learned from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).

The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) is a prospective, observational study of the relationships between hemodialysis (HD) patient outcomes and HD treatment practices. The DOPPS began in 1996 in the United States, expanding to France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the United Kingdom in 1998-1999, and then to Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, and Sweden in 2002. More than 300 dialysis units have participated in the DOPPS since 1996, with mortality data collected from nearly 90,000HD patients and detailed longitudinal data from nearly 30,000 HD patients.

Effect of ultrafiltration on thermal variables, skin temperature, skin blood flow, and energy expenditure during ultrapure hemodialysis.

The cause of the increase in core temperature (CT) during hemodialysis (HD) is still under debate. It has been suggested that peripheral vasoconstriction as a result of hypovolemia, leading to a reduced dissipation of heat from the skin, is the main cause of this increase in CT. If so, then it would be expected that extracorporeal heat flow (Jex) needed to maintain a stable CT (isothermic; T-control = 0, no change in CT) is largely different between body temperature control HD combined with ultrafiltration (UF) and body temperature control HD without UF (isovolemic).

Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) data on medications in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Medications affect many measures of hemodialysis patients' well-being.

Methods: The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) has evaluated the use of hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins), analgesics, antidepressants, and multivitamins. Additionally, DOPPS has reported on the associations between vascular access outcomes and related medications.

A clinical and cost evaluation of hemodialysis in renal satellite units in England and Wales.

Background: The prevalence rate of renal replacement therapy in the United Kingdom has increased significantly, particularly by long-term hemodialysis (HD) therapy in renal satellite units (RSUs). These are largely nurse-run units linked to main renal units (MRUs). We compared outcomes, processes of care, and costs in RSUs with those in MRUs.

Patterns of hepatitis C prevalence and seroconversion in hemodialysis units from three continents: the DOPPS.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a problem within hemodialysis units. This study measures HCV prevalence and seroconversion rates across seven countries and investigates associations with facility-level practice patterns.

Methods: The study sample was from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), a prospective, observational study of adult hemodialysis patients randomly selected from 308 representative dialysis facilities in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The relationship between systemic and whole-body hematocrit is not constant during ultrafiltration on hemodialysis.

The measurement of relative blood volume (RBV) changes during ultrafiltration assume a constant mass and distribution of circulating blood components such as hematocrit. The authors examine the validity of this assumption in 10 subjects undergoing repeated direct measurements of systemic hematocrit and plasma volume (PV(icg)) using indocyanine green dilution at four stages of dialysis with intermittent ultrafiltration. Ultrasonic RBV changes were monitored.

Anaemia in haemodialysis patients of five European countries: association with morbidity and mortality in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).

Background: The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) is a prospective, observational study based on data collected from nationally representative samples of haemodialysis facilities. The burden of anaemia in haemodialysis patients is substantial, leading to considerable morbidity, mortality and reduced quality of life. This study examines anaemia management and outcomes based on data from five European countries participating in the DOPPS: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Haemodialysis prescription, adherence and nutritional indicators in five European countries: results from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).

Background: The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) is a prospective, observational study designed to evaluate practice patterns in random samples of haemodialysis facilities and patients across three continents. Participating countries include France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK (Euro-DOPPS), Japan and the USA. DOPPS data collection has used the same questionnaires and protocols across all participating countries to assess components of dialysis therapy and outcomes.