Impact of Remote Monitoring on Standardized Outcomes in Nephrology-Peritoneal Dialysis.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the use of remote patient monitoring (RPM) in patients on automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) and the Standardized Outcomes in Nephrology in peritoneal dialysis (SONG-PD) clinical outcomes. Methods: A prospective and multicenter cohort study was conducted on patients with advanced chronic kidney disease on APD, recruited at 16 Spanish Hospitals, between June 1 and December 31, 2021. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts, namely patients on APD with RPM (APD-RPM) and patients on APD without RPM. The primary endpoints were the standardized outcomes of the SONG-PD clinical outcomes: PD-associated infection, cardiovascular disease (CVD), mortality rate, technique survival, and life participation (assessed as health-related quality of life [QoL]). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to evaluate the association of RPM exposure with the clinical outcomes. Results: A total of 232 patients were included, 176 (75.9%) in the APD-RPM group and 56 (24.1%) in the APD-without-RPM group. The mean patient follow-up time was significantly longer in the APD-RPM group than in the APD-without-RPM group (10.4 ± 2.8 vs. 9.4 ± 3.1 months, respectively; P = 0.02). In the overall study sample, the APD-RPM group was associated with a lower mortality rate (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.08; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01 to 0.69; P = 0.020) and greater technique survival rate (HR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.59; P = 0.001). After PSM, APD-RPM continued to be associated with better technique survival (HR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.83; P = 0.024). Conclusion: The use of RPM programs in patients on APD was associated with better survival of the technique and lower mortality rates. However, after PSM, only technique survival was significant.

Oxidative stress markers in predicting response to treatment with ferric carboxymaltose in nondialysis chronic kidney disease patients.

BACKGROUND: Nearly half of all non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients respond to iron therapy. Factors affecting anemia response to iron therapy are not well characterized. Oxidative stress (OS) is a recognized factor for anemia in CKD and promotes erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA) resistance; however, the influence in predicting response to intravenous (IV) iron has not been evaluated. METHODS: Patients (n = 47) with non-dialysis CKD stages 3 - 5 (mean eGFR: 26 ± 10.4 mL/min/1.73 m2) and iron-deficiency anemia (hemoglobin < 11 g/dL, transferrin saturation (TSAT) index < 20%, and/or ferritin < 100 ng/mL) received a single injection of 1,000 mg of ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) and were observed for 12 weeks. Based on erythropoietic response (defined as ≥ 1 g/dL increase in hemoglobin level), patients were classified as responders or non-responders. Baseline conventional markers of iron status (TSAT and ferritin), inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and IL-6), OS markers (oxidized LDL, protein carbonyl groups, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), and catalase activity were measured. RESULTS: FCM resulted in a significant increase in hemoglobin, TSAT, and ferritin (10 ± 0.7 vs. 11.4 ± 1.3 g/dL, p < 0.0001; 14.6 ± 6.4% vs. 28.9 ± 10%, p < 0.0001; 67.8 ± 61.7 vs. 502.5 ± 263.3 ng/dL, p < 0.0001, respectively). Responders and non-responders were 34 (72%) and 13 (28%), respectively. Age, baseline hemoglobin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, parathyroid hormone, and use of ESA or angiotensin-modulating agents were similar in both groups. Responders showed a tendency towards lower TSAT than non-responders (13.6 ± 6.5% vs. 17.2 ± 5.6%, p = 0.06) but similar ferritin levels. Inflammatory markers were similar in both groups. eGPx activity was lower in non-responders compared to responders (103.1 ± 50.9 vs. 144.9 ± 63.1 U/g Hb, p = 0.01, respectively), although the other proteins, lipid oxidation markers, and enzymatic antioxidants did not differ between the two groups. In the multivariate adjusted model, odds (95% CI) for achieving erythropoietic response to FCM were 10.53 (1.25 - 88.16) in the third tertile of eGPX activity and 3.20 (0.56 - 18.0) in the second tertile compared to those in the lowest tertiles (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased eGPx activity has adverse influences on response to FCM, suggesting that impaired erythrocyte antioxidant defense may be involved in the response to iron therapy in CKD patients.

Virtual health platform for medical tourism purposes.

This paper introduces an overview of the Virtual Health Platform (VHP), an alternative approach to create a functional PHR system in a medical tourism environment. The proposed platform has been designed in order to be integrated with EHR infrastructures and in this way it expects to be useful and more advantageous to the patient or tourist. Use cases of the VHP and its potential benefits summarize the analysis.