Haematological malignancies and acute kidney injury requiring nephrology consultation: challenging the worst of the worst.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) often complicates the course of haematological malignancies (HMs) and confers a worse prognosis. The majority of these patients are managed by the attending physician, yet, a small group, mostly coincident with the worst presentation and outcomes, requires nephrology consultation, challenging the clinician with ethical issues regarding the decision to initiate or forgo renal support therapy. The purpose of this work is to identify the prognostic determinants for in-hospital mortality in this population. METHODS: A retrospective, observational chart review was undertaken at a single tertiary referral oncological centre. We reviewed the medical records of in-hospital patients with AKI and HM between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2014 who met the criteria for RIFLE (Risk, Injury, and Failure; and Loss; and End-stage kidney disease) classification of I or higher and were followed by a nephrologist. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty-five patients were included in the study. Predictors of in-hospital death in patients with HM and AKI were septic shock [odds ratio (OR) 4.290 (95% CI 2.058-8.943)], invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) [OR 4.305 (95% CI 2.075-8.928)] and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) [OR 2.232 (95% CI 1.260-3.953)]. The combination of each risk factor was used to estimate the probability of dying. Patients with all three risk factors had a risk of death of 86%. CONCLUSIONS: Septic shock, IMV and allogeneic SCT were identified as independent predictors of death in patients with HM and AKI, with only a small chance of survival if all three were present. Depending on the combination of risk factors, the indication for aggressive life support therapies, such as RST, might be questionable.

Effects of sevelamer hydrochloride and calcium carbonate on renal osteodystrophy in hemodialysis patients.

Disturbances in mineral metabolism play a central role in the development of renal bone disease. In a 54-wk, randomized, open-label study, 119 hemodialysis patients were enrolled to compare the effects of sevelamer hydrochloride and calcium carbonate on bone. Biopsy-proven adynamic bone disease was the most frequent bone abnormality at baseline (59%). Serum phosphorus, calcium, and intact parathyroid hormone were well controlled in both groups, although calcium was consistently lower and intact parathyroid hormone higher among patients who were randomly assigned to sevelamer. Compared with baseline values, there were no changes in mineralization lag time or measures of bone turnover (e.g., activation frequency) after 1 yr in either group. Osteoid thickness significantly increased in both groups, but there was no significant difference between them. Bone formation rate per bone surface, however, significantly increased from baseline only in the sevelamer group (P = 0.019). In addition, of those with abnormal microarchitecture at baseline (i.e., trabecular separation), seven of 10 in the sevelamer group normalized after 1 yr compared with zero of three in the calcium group. In summary, sevelamer resulted in no statistically significant changes in bone turnover or mineralization compared with calcium carbonate, but bone formation increased and trabecular architecture improved with sevelamer. Further studies are required to assess whether these changes affect clinical outcomes, such as rates of fracture.

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome after stem cell transplantation: a case report and literature review.

Graft-versus-host disease is one of the most frequent complications occurring after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Recently, renal involvement has been described as a manifestation of chronic graft-versus-host disease. Immunosuppression seems to play a major role: clinical disease is triggered by its tapering and resolution is achieved with the resumption of the immunosuppressive therapy. Prognosis is apparently favourable, but long term follow up data are lacking.We report a case of a 53-year-old man who developed nephrotic syndrome 142 days after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia. Onset of nephrotic syndrome occurred after reduction of immunosuppressants and was accompanied by manifestations of chronic graft-versus-host disease. Histological examination of the kidney was consistent with Minimal Change Disease. After treatment with prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil he had complete remission of proteinuria and improvement of graft-versus-host disease. Eighteen months after transplantation the patient keeps haematological remission and normal renal function, without proteinuria.Since patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease might be considered at risk for development of nephrotic syndrome, careful monitoring of renal parameters, namely proteinuria, is advisable.