Journal Watch

  • PD or In-Center HD: Which is Better for Transplant?

    An analysis of 12 studies found that doing PD before a transplant had significanlty less delayed graft function than those who did standard in-center HD. While on dialysis, PD had better 5-year survival than standard HD, too. There were no differences in the rates of acute rejection or transplant survival. Watch a Video Journal Club of this study on 'Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco'

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-07-12)

    Tags: Hemodialysis

  • PD Survival and Serum Sodium – Not What You Might Think

    In an analysis of 4,687 people on PD between 2007 and 2011, those whose serum sodium levels were <140 mEq/L had a higher death rate than those with higher levels. Further studies are needed to see if correcting the sodium levels helps people live longer on PD.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-07-12)

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  • Mechanisms of Peritoneal Membrane Fibrosis

    Glucose in PD solution activates a cell protein in mice that typically prevents fibrosis when it is not activated. This pathway leads to inflammation, growth of new blood vessels, and fibrosis—so finding a way to switch it off could lead to new drugs to help prevent these problems.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-06-08)

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  • More Inflammation With Standard HD Than With PD

    Inflammation can lead to heart damage and poor outcomes. Two 3-month prospective studies with 228 HD and 80 PD patients measured two markers of inflammation: CRP and IL-6. In HD patients, these levels were both higher and more variable than in PD.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-06-08)

    Tags: Hemodialysis

  • Glucose in PD Solution Affects Non-Diabetic Patients, Too

    Among 640 PD patients from three countries studied for up to 6.4 years, serum glucose levels rose with age and with higher dialysate glucose. In 5.4% of the sample, the levels suggested undiagnosed diabetes.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-06-08)

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  • Nocturnal HD Protects Bones Better Than Standard HD

    Compared to 52 patients on conventional HD, 36 patients on nocturnal HD had better bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and hip after one year.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-06-08)

    Tags: Hemodialysis

  • Patient Costs As A Challenge For Home Dialysis Choice

    Interviews with 43 home dialysis patients and 9 care partners found that fears of lost work productivity, out of pocket expenses, and socioeconomic disadvantage were challenges to choosing home dialysis. Patients weighed flexibility against training time and costs, and housing was not always suitable.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-06-08)

    Tags: Hemodialysis

  • WAK Clearance of Potassium and Phosphorus in Goats

    Wearable dialysis could ease fluctuations in potassium and phosphorus vs. intermittent HD. A sorbent based wearable device tested on goats found constant levels of potassium and phosphate adsorption.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-06-08)

    Tags: Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27220758

  • Outset Medical Tablo Human Factors Testing

    Journal articles don’t tend to give product names, so we read between the lines to tell you that human factors testing on Outset’s Tablo home HD machine found 2.9 errors for patients—and 4.4 for nurses or technicians—out of 1,710 opportunities for error. None of the errors was safety related.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-06-08)

    Tags: Hemodialysis

  • Low Blood Magnesium Levels Risky On PD

    Most magnesium in the body is not in the blood. And, very low blood levels (<1.8 mg/dL) were linked with higher rates of hospital stays and death among 10,692 people on PD. The greatest hospital risk was in patients who also had low (<3.5g/dL) serum albumin levels.

    Read the abstract » | (added 2016-06-08)

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