Bone density better in PD than in standard HD

A study compared bone density X-rays in 56 people on standard HD and 23 on PD to 79 healthy people matched for age, gender, BMI, and menopausal status. The healthy people had higher bone density than those on dialysis. But, those on standard HD had significantly lower bone density than those on PD.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Mathematical modeling shows long, slow HD is better

Dropping the blood flow rate from 350 mL/min to 175 mL/min and dialyzing for 8 hours instead of 4 removes significantly more wastes—especially beta2 microglobulin, which causes amyloidosis.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Home HD may be a good fit for obese patients

An Australian clinic has successfully trained 23 obese people (BMI >30) to do home HD between 2001 and 2009. Patients stayed on the treatment for an average of 43.7 months.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-10-25)

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Are infections requiring hospitalization more common with PD or standard HD?

A study in Canada paired 910 people on PD with people on HD, matched by age, race, smoking, BMI, comorbid conditions, and lab data. After 2 years, researchers found that those on PD were more likely to be in the hospital for peritonitis—but less likely to have sepsis or pneumonia than those on standard HD.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-09-25)

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Longer or more-frequent HD normalizes mortality patterns

It has long been known that those on PD have an equal chance of dying on any day of the week—while standard in-center HD are much more likely to die on a Monday (or Tuesday with Tue-Thu-Sat treatments). A new study looking at 14,636 Australian registry deaths found that those who got more than 3 standard in-center treatments per week or did home HD were no more likely to die on a Monday (or Tuesday) than any other day.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-09-25)

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Reasons why patients prefer more HD

An in-depth, interview study of 10 short daily or nocturnal HD patients in Canada found four main reasons why they liked their choice. 1) They felt better physically and mentally. 2) They felt more in control of their time. 3) They didn't feel "sick" and were more able to work. 4) They had the support they needed to succeed.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-09-25)

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A "self-locating" PD catheter

The Di Paolo self-locating PD catheter was tested in 20 patients in Italy. The researchers found no infections, and only 0.8% dislocated catheters—vs. 12% for Tenkhoff PD catheters.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-09-25)

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Metaanalysis: More HD boosts heart health

A metaanalysis of 46 studies concluded that switching from standard in-center HD to longer and/or more frequent HD significantly reduced left ventricular mass and improved blood pressure and the cardiac ejection fraction.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

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Mupirocin best for preventing PD exit site infections

A new double blind, controlled study of mupirocin antibiotic ointment vs. polysporin found that mupirocin came out on top. Twice as many patients who used polysporin had exit site redness and they were more likely to get fungal infections.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

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Nocturnal in-center HD survival about 50% better than standard in-center HD

A Fresenius study followed 946 patients doing 3x/week nocturnal in-center HD with 2,062 matched patients doing standard in-center treatments. After 2 years, 27% of those doing standard treatments had died, vs. 19% of those who did the longer, nocturnal treatments.

Read the abstract » | (added 2012-08-16)

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