Successful Advance Directives through Quality Disease Management.

Recently there has been talk about the benefit of advance care planning. This is an issue which resurfaces from time to time, as is evident in recent New England Journal of Medicine articles and editorials (April 2010). It has also resurfaced in Canada in a recent document titled Advance Care Planning in Canada: National Framework for Consultation (Health Canada 2010).

Dialysis delivery in Canada and the United States: a view from the trenches.

Although the general framework for health care delivery is vastly different in Canada and the United States, the framework for dialysis delivery is less divergent. However, the 2 systems have evolved very differently. Examined during the past 20 years, it is apparent that the dialysis system in the United States has undergone profound change, whereas the system in Canada is relatively stagnant.

International Quotidian Dialysis Registry: annual report 2009.

The International Quotidian Dialysis Registry (IQDR) is a global initiative designed to study practices and outcomes associated with the use of hemodialysis regimens of increased frequency and/or duration. Several small studies suggest that compared with conventional hemodialysis (HD), short-daily, nocturnal, and long conventional HD regimens may improve surrogate endpoints and quality of life. However, methodologically robust comparisons on hard outcomes are sorely lacking.

Safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery: Roux-en-y gastric bypass is superior to gastric banding in the management of morbidly obese patients: a reply to the response by Bhoyrul et al.

Background: We have read the letter by Bhoyrul et al. in response to our recently published article "Safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is superior to gastric banding in the management of morbidly obese patients". We strongly disagree with the content of the letter.

An integrated review of "unplanned" dialysis initiation: reframing the terminology to "suboptimal" initiation.

Background: Ideally, care prior to the initiation of dialysis should increase the likelihood that patients start electively outside of the hospital setting with a mature arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter. However, unplanned dialysis continues to occur in patients both known and unknown to nephrology services, and in both late and early referrals. The objective of this article is to review the clinical and socioeconomic outcomes of unplanned dialysis initiation.

Rates of rubella immunity among immigrant and non-immigrant pregnant women.

Objective: Elimination of congenital rubella syndrome depends not only on effective childhood immunization but also on the identification and immunization of susceptible women of childbearing age. Since many countries do not immunize against rubella, it is possible that some immigrant women may not be immune. Moreover, contemporary estimates of rubella immunity among Canadian-born mothers are lacking.

Safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is superior to gastric banding in the management of morbidly obese patients.

Background: The use of bariatric surgery in the management of morbid obesity is rapidly increasing. The two most frequently performed procedures are laparoscopic Roux-en-Y bypass and laparoscopic gastric banding. The objective of this short overview is to provide a critical appraisal of the most relevant scientific evidence comparing laparoscopic gastric banding versus laparoscopic Roux-en-Y bypass in the treatment of morbidly obese patients.

Same-day sequential cataract surgery.

Purpose Of Review: Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery (SBCS) is gaining in popularity worldwide. Whereas 5 or 10 years ago, it was only performed by scattered individual surgeons, it is now rapidly becoming accepted and mainstream.

Recent Findings: Cataract surgery is generally performed on older patients.

Management of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia--today.

Symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the commonest causes today of men presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). We can find this in 50% of men over the age of fifty. If BPH is not treated, then one can expect that the disease will progress in a significant number of individuals.

Daily nocturnal hemodialysis--a paradigm shift worthy of disrupting current dialysis practice.

Various strategies have been considered in attempts to improve the outcomes of dialysis patients. Such strategies include increasing dialysis dose, using alternative depuration methods, changing dialysis schedules and focusing on preventing or treating specific co-morbidities and complications. In this Viewpoint, Andreas Pierratos discusses the first three strategies, and concludes that he believes that a paradigm shift, a disruptive change-in the form of daily home nocturnal hemodialysis-is needed to improve dialysis outcomes.

Management of benign prostatic hyperplasia by the primary care physician in the 21st century: the new paradigm.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the commonest causes of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men over age 50. Fifty percent of men over age 50 will require some type of management for BPH/LUTS symptoms. Until about 15 years ago, the most common management for BPH was a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) operation.

A prospective evaluation of renal replacement therapy modality eligibility.

Background: Patient eligibility for renal replacement therapy (RRT) modalities is frequently debated, but little prospective data are available from large patient cohorts.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated medical and psychosocial eligibility for the three RRT modalities in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages III-V who were enrolled in an ongoing prospective cohort study conducted at seven North American nephrology practices.

Results: Ninety-eight percent of patients were considered medically eligible for haemodialysis (HD), 87% of patients were assessed as medically eligible for peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 54% of patients were judged medically eligible for transplant.

The International Quotidian Dialysis Registry: Annual report 2008.

Alternative hemodialysis (HD) schedules, including short-daily and nocturnal HD, continue to proliferate, with the hope of offering improved patient outcomes. Three nights per week and every other night, nocturnal HD are now being provided to more patients worldwide, both at home and in-center. However, alternative HD schedules are still experimental in most centers, and studies establishing the efficacy of these therapies with respect to major clinical outcomes are needed.

Can extracellular fluid volume expansion in hemodialysis patients be safely reduced using the hemocontrol biofeedback algorithm? A randomized trial.

Extracellular fluid volume (ECFV) expansion in hemodialysis patients is associated with increased mortality. Attempts to remove excess fluid often result in intradialytic hypotension (IDH). Blood volume monitoring has been used to aid selection of ultrafiltration rates and dialysate conductivity to minimize IDH.

A practice-related risk score (PRS): a DOPPS-derived aggregate quality index for haemodialysis facilities.

Background: The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) database was used to develop and validate a practice-related risk score (PRS) based on modifiable practices to help facilities assess potential areas for improving patient care.

Methods: Relative risks (RRs) from a multivariable Cox mortality model, based on observational haemodialysis (HD) patient data from DOPPS I (1996-2001, seven countries), were used. The four practices were the percent of patients with Kt/V > or =1.

Oral intake during hemodialysis: is there an association with intradialytic hypotension?

Oral intake (OI) of food and fluid has been associated with hypotension during hemodialysis (HD). Trials evaluating this relationship are small. The objective of this study was to quantify OI and to examine its association with hypotension during HD.

A primer for the prescription of short-daily and nocturnal hemodialysis.

More frequent and intensive hemodialysis (HD) schedules continue to garner interest internationally. Two dominant regimens have emerged, namely short-daily and nocturnal HD. A growing body of observational data suggests that these regimens allow more rigorous control of biochemical and physical parameters when compared with conventional HD.

The burden of schizophrenia on caregivers: a review.

Schizophrenia is a disabling, chronic psychiatric disorder that poses numerous challenges in its management and consequences. It extols a significant cost to the patient in terms of personal suffering, on the caregiver as a result of the shift of burden of care from hospital to families, and on society at large in terms of significant direct and indirect costs that include frequent hospitalizations and the need for long-term psychosocial and economic support, as well as life-time lost productivity. 'Burden of care' is a complex construct that challenges simple definition, and is frequently criticized for being broad and generally negative.