Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association
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Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. · Mar 2003
Measurement of tubular enzymuria facilitates early detection of acute renal impairment in the intensive care unit.
Early detection of acute tubular necrosis (ATN) could permit implementation of salvage therapies and improve patient outcomes in acute renal failure (ARF). The utility of single and combined measurements of urinary tubular enzymes in predicting ARF in critically ill patients has not been evaluated using the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) plot method. ⋯ Tubular enzymuria on admission to the ICU is useful in predicting ARF. The cheapness and wide availability of automated assays for gamma GT and AP suggests that estimation of these enzymes in random urine samples may be particularly useful for identifying patients at high risk of ARF.
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Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. · Feb 2003
Multicenter StudyTreatment of anaemia in dialysis patients with unit dosing of darbepoetin alfa at a reduced dose frequency relative to recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo).
Darbepoetin alfa is an erythropoietic agent with a 3-fold longer elimination half-life than recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo), which allows less frequent dosing. This study investigated the safety and efficacy of darbepoetin alfa for treating anaemia in dialysis patients, using a dosing regimen that was independent of the patient's body weight (unit dosing). ⋯ The treatment of renal anaemia in dialysis patients with unit doses of darbepoetin alfa effectively and safely maintains target haemoglobin concentrations with less frequent dosing. Dose requirements for darbepoetin alfa following i.v. and s.c. administration were not different. The results of this study demonstrate that darbepoetin alfa administered i.v. once weekly, or once every other week is an effective treatment regimen for haemodialysis patients with renal anaemia.
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Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. · Dec 2002
Haemodialysis increases QT(c) interval but not QT(c) dispersion in ESRD patients without manifest cardiac disease.
HD has been reported to determine an increase in QTc interval and QTc dispersion (QT(max)-QT(min))-risk factors that predispose to severe ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. However, most studies have included end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with significant heart pathology. We therefore aimed to study the impact of a single HD session in subjects without manifest cardiac disease. ⋯ Haemodialysis increases the QTc interval in ESRD patients, mainly related to rapid changes in electrolyte plasma concentrations. However, the impact on QTc dispersion is less important in the absence of significant coexisting cardiac disease.
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Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. · Nov 2002
Clinical findings in the renal victims of a catastrophic disaster: the Marmara earthquake.
The clinical course of acute renal failure (ARF) related to crush syndrome is very complex, because of co-existing surgical and/or medical complications. After the devastating Marmara earthquake that struck Turkey in August 1999, 639 patients were identified with nephrological problems, whose clinical findings have been the subject of this analysis. ⋯ In the aftermath of catastrophic earthquakes, clinical findings of the renal victims can predict the final outcome. While fasciotomies indicate dialysis needs, extremity amputations, abdominal and thoracic traumas are associated with higher rates of mortality in addition to DIC and ARDS.