American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation
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Hypoalbuminemia is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. The proximate cause of hypoalbuminemia is probably responsible for these events, and not the hypoalbuminemia itself. Because protein-calorie malnutrition decreases albumin synthesis, hypoalbuminemia has been attributed to poor nutritional intake resulting from underdialysis. ⋯ Multivariate analysis identifies markers of inflammation and nutritional status as independent predictors of hypoalbuminemia in HD patients and markers of inflammation and peritoneal albumin loss as independent predictors in PD patients. However, the acute-phase response and malnutrition are closely interrelated, because inflammatory mediators also suppress appetite, increase muscle catabolism, and result in progressive cachexia. Future studies should focus on elucidating the inflammatory stimuli and the complex interaction between the acute-phase response and nutritional status.
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Comparative Study
All currently used measurements of recirculation in blood access by chemical methods are flawed due to intradialytic disequilibrium or recirculation at low flow.
Blood flows and recirculations with standard and reversed direction of lines were measured by chemical (urea and creatinine) and ultrasound dilution (saline) methods in 47 chronic hemodialysis patients. Thirty-seven patients had 47 dual-lumen, central vein (CV) catheters: 32 were PermCath (Quinton Instruments Company, Seattle, WA), 6 were Access Cath (MEDCOMP, Harleysville, PA), 3 were Soft Cell PC (Vas Cath, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) and 6 were SNIJ (experimental catheters). Three of these last catheters had the tip staggered 7 mm, and three had flush tips; PermCath, Access Cath, and Soft Cell PC catheters have the tips staggered 23 to 25 mm. ⋯ The ultrasound dilution method usually gave lower values than the chemical methods, most likely because of overestimation of recirculation by chemical methods. At least triplicate measurements are needed because single measurements by the ultrasound dilution method are associated with substantial variation. We conclude that both currently used methods (stop flow and slow flow) of taking systemic samples for measurements of recirculation by chemical methods are flawed because of disequilibrium and recirculation at low flow.
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There is considerable variation in process or outcome measures in dialysis centers across the United States. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) techniques help multidisciplinary care teams assess current care and design strategies to improve outcomes. Evidence-based medicine facilitates the use of the current best evidence from clinical care research to improve patient care. ⋯ Clinical performance measures will provide measurement tools to CQI teams. Clinical decisions depend not only on research evidence in the literature, but also on clinical expertise, patient preferences, and constraints, such as policies, community standards, and budgetary limitations. As care teams use practice guidelines to improve outcomes, results of the CQI process may allow for the refinement of practice guidelines.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effect of a silver device in preventing catheter-related infections in peritoneal dialysis patients: silver ring prophylaxis at the catheter exit study.
Catheter-related infections remain a significant cause of method failure in chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy. Given the increasing antibiotic resistance, such nonpharmacological strategies as local silver devices attract more interest. To establish whether a silver ring device (designed by Grosse-Siestrup in 1992) mounted onto the PD catheter and placed at the exit site at skin level is effective in preventing exit-site and other catheter-related infections, a prospective 12-month, multicenter, controlled study stratified by diabetes status was conducted. ⋯ Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression identified younger age (<50 years), low serum albumin level (<35 g/L), number of previously placed PD catheters, short cuff-exit distance (<2 cm), and S aureus nasal carriage as risk factors for the development of exit-site infections. In conclusion, our study does not show any benefit of the silver ring in preventing catheter-related infections in PD patients. Thus, prevention of infection-related method failure in PD still has to rely on conventional antibiotic treatment strategies and less so on alternative methods.
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We present the case of a 50-year-old man who underwent kidney biopsy for nephrotic syndrome. In addition to a membranous pattern, anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) staining was noted before manifestations of anti-GBM disease. Hematuria and renal failure ensued 2 weeks later. In addition, he had simultaneous circulating levels of anti-GBM antibody and both perinuclear (P-) and cytoplasmic (C-) antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA).