American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation
-
Peritonitis remains a major problem in peritoneal dialysis. The incidence of peritonitis may be reduced by the use of more "biocompatible" peritoneal dialysis solutions that do not impair local host defense mechanisms, such as occurs with conventional lactate-buffered glucose solutions. In the present study, we investigated the use of bicarbonate and lactate as buffer systems and glucose, amino acids, and glucose polymer as osmotic agents on specific cellular functions of isolated fresh blood monocytes in vitro. ⋯ These results suggest that bicarbonate as a buffer provided better biocompatibility with regard to mononuclear cytokine release and viability compared with lactate. Amino acids and glucose were equivalent to these parameters at a physiologic pH. The glucose polymer solution, however, was associated with a marked depression of cytokine release.
-
Although chronic dialysis patients support the use of advance directives, they rarely complete them. We asked 80 chronic dialysis patients (60 receiving in-center hemodialysis and 20 receiving peritoneal dialysis) why they had not completed an advance directive, and gave them the opportunity to complete a dialysis-specific living will and to designate a health care proxy. Questionnaires containing the dialysis-specific living will, patient demographic information, and questions about advance directives were distributed during a routine hemodialysis session or peritoneal dialysis clinic visit by a nurse working in the unit. ⋯ The dialysis-specific living will asks about choices for life-sustaining treatment (cardiopulmonary resuscitation and dialysis) based on one's health state (current health; permanent coma; terminal illness; mild, moderate, or severe stroke; dementia). Using patient-specific advance directives that focus on health states rather than life-sustaining interventions (eg, the dialysis-specific living will) and repeated discussion of advance directives and advance care planning initiated by dialysis unit staff may improve the completion of advance directives by chronic dialysis patients. The appropriate focus of such issues should include family involvement and health states rather than treatment interventions.