Association of Estimated GFR Calculated Using Race-Free Equations With Kidney Failure and Mortality by Black vs Non-Black Race.

Importance: At a given estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), individuals who are Black have higher rates of mortality and kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT) compared with those who are non-Black. Whether the recently adopted eGFR equations without race preserve racial differences in risk of mortality and KFRT at a given eGFR is unknown. Objective: To assess whether eGFR equations with and without race and cystatin C document racial differences in risk of KFRT and mortality in populations including Black and non-Black participants. Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective individual-level data analysis of 62 011 participants from 5 general population and 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) US-based cohorts with serum creatinine, cystatin C, and follow-up for KFRT and mortality from 1988 to 2018. Exposures: Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation with serum creatinine (eGFRcr with and without race), cystatin C (eGFRcys without race), or both markers (eGFRcr-cys without race). Main Outcomes and Measures: The prevalence of decreased eGFR at baseline and hazard ratios of KFRT and mortality in Black vs non-Black participants were calculated, adjusted for age and sex. Analyses were performed within each cohort and with random-effect meta-analyses of the models. Results: Among 62 011 participants (20 773 Black and 41 238 non-Black; mean age, 63 years; 53% women), the prevalence ratio (95% CI; percent prevalences) of eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 comparing Black with non-Black participants was 0.98 (95% CI, 0.93-1.03; 11% vs 12%) for eGFRcr with race, 0.95 (95% CI, 0.91-0.98; 17% vs 18%) for eGFRcys, and 1.2 (95% CI, 1.2-1.3; 13% vs 11%) for eGFRcr-cys but was 1.8 (95% CI, 1.7-1.8; 15% vs 9%) for eGFRcr without race. During a mean follow-up of 13 years, 8% and 4% of Black and non-Black participants experienced KFRT and 34% and 39% died, respectively. Decreased eGFR was associated with significantly greater risk of both outcomes for all equations. At an eGFR of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, the hazard ratios for KFRT comparing Black with non-Black participants were 2.8 (95% CI, 1.6-4.9) for eGFRcr with race, 3.0 (95% CI, 1.5-5.8) for eGFRcys, and 2.8 (95% CI, 1.4-5.4) for eGFRcr-cys vs 1.3 (95% CI, 0.8-2.1) for eGFRcr without race. The 5-year absolute risk differences for KFRT comparing Black with non-Black participants were 1.4% (95% CI, 0.2%-2.6%) for eGFRcr with race, 1.1% (95% CI, 0.2%-1.9%) for eGFRcys, and 1.3% (95% CI, 0%-2.6%) for eGFRcr-cys vs 0.37% (95% CI, -0.32% to 1.05%) for eGFRcr without race. Similar patterns were observed for mortality. Conclusions and Relevance: In this retrospective analysis of 8 US cohorts including Black and non-Black individuals, the eGFR equation without race that included creatinine and cystatin C, but not the eGFR equation without race that included creatinine without cystatin C, demonstrated racial differences in the risk of KFRT and mortality throughout the range of eGFR. The eGFRcr-cys equation may be preferable to the eGFRcr equation without race for assessing racial differences in the risk of KFRT and mortality associated with low eGFR.

Intermittent Convective Therapies in Patients with Acute Kidney Injury: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: In critically ill patients requiring intermittent renal replacement therapy (RRT), the benefits of convective versus diffusive clearance remain uncertain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the safety, clinical efficacy, and clearance efficiency of hemofiltration (HF) and hemodiafiltration (HDF) compared to hemodialysis (HD) in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) receiving intermittent RRT. METHOD: We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PROSPERO. We included clinical trials and observational studies that reported the use of intermittent HF or HDF in adult patients with AKI. The following outcomes were included: mortality, renal recovery, clearance efficacy, intradialytic hemodynamic stability, circuit loss, and inflammation modulation. RESULTS: A total of 3,169 studies were retrieved and screened. Four randomized controlled trials and 4 observational studies were included (n: 615 patients). Compared with conventional HD, intermittent convective therapies had no effect on in-hospital mortality (relative risk, 1.23; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.76-1.99), renal recovery at 30 days (RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.82-1.16), time-to-renal recovery (mean difference [MD], 0.77; 95% CI, -6.56 to 8.10), and number of dialysis sessions until renal recovery (MD, -1.34; 95% CI, -3.39 to 0.72). The overall quality of included studies was low, and dialysis parameters were suboptimal for all included studies. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that there is no significant difference in short-term mortality and renal recovery in patients with severe AKI when treated with intermittent HF or HDF compared to conventional HD. This systematic review emphasizes the need for further trials evaluating optimal convective parameters in AKI patients treated with intermittent dialysis.

Association of Acute Kidney Injury Receiving Kidney Replacement Therapy With Prognosis of Critically Ill Patients With and Without Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess outcomes of cancer patients receiving kidney replacement therapy due to acute kidney injury in ICUs and compare these with other patient groups receiving kidney replacement therapy in ICUs. DESIGN: Retrospective registry analysis. SETTING: Prospectively collected database of 296,424 ICU patients. PATIENTS: Patients with and without solid cancer with acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy were identified and compared with those without acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy. INTERVENTIONS: Descriptive statistics were used to ascertain prevalence of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy and solid cancer in ICU patients. Association of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy and cancer with prognosis was assessed using logistic regression analysis. To compare the attributable mortality of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy, 20,154 noncancer patients and 2,411 cancer patients without acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy were matched with 12,827 noncancer patients and 1,079 cancer patients with acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Thirty-five thousand three hundred fifty-six ICU patients (11.9%) had solid cancer. Acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy was present in 1,408 (4.0%) cancer patients and 13,637 (5.2%) noncancer patients. Crude ICU and hospital mortality was higher in the cancer group (646 [45.9%] vs 4,674 [34.3%], p < 0.001, and 787 [55.9%] vs 5,935 [43.5%], p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, odds ratio (95% CI) for hospital mortality was 1.73 (1.62-1.85) for cancer compared with no cancer 3.57 (3.32-3.83) for acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy and 1.07 (0.86-1.33) for their interaction. In the matched subcohort, attributable hospital mortality of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy was 56.7% in noncancer patients and 48.0% in cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence rate of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy and prognosis in ICU patients with solid cancer are comparable with other ICU patient groups. In cancer, acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy is associated with higher crude hospital mortality. However, the specific attributable mortality conveyed by acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy is actually lower in cancer patients than in noncancer patients. Diagnosis of cancer per se does not justify withholding kidney replacement therapy.

Time to Initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy Among Critically Ill Patients With Acute Kidney Injury: A Current Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The optimal time to initiate renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury is controversial. We investigated the effect of such earlier versus later initiation of renal replacement therapy on the primary outcome of 28-day mortality and other patient-centered secondary outcomes. DESIGN: We searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, and Cochrane databases to July 17, 2020, and included randomized controlled trials comparing earlier versus later renal replacement therapy. SETTING: Multiple centers involved in eight trials. PATIENTS: Total of 4,588 trial participants. INTERVENTION: Two independents investigators screened and extracted data using a predefined form. We selected randomized controlled trials in critically ill adult patients with acute kidney injury and compared of earlier versus later initiation of renal replacement therapy regardless of modality. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Overall, 28-day mortality was similar between earlier and later renal replacement therapy initiation (38.43% vs 38.06%, respectively; risk ratio, 1.01; [95% CI, 0.94-1.09]; I2 = 0%). Earlier renal replacement therapy, however, shortened hospital length of stay (mean difference, -2.14 d; [95% CI, -4.13 to -0.14]) and ICU length of stay (mean difference, -1.18 d; [95% CI, -1.95 to -0.42]). In contrast, later renal replacement therapy decreased the use of renal replacement therapy (relative risk, 0.69; [95% CI, 0.58-0.82]) and lowered the risk of catheter-related blood stream infection (risk ratio, 0.50, [95% CI, 0.29-0.86). Among survivors, renal replacement therapy dependence at day 28 was similar between earlier and later renal replacement therapy initiation (risk ratio, 0.98; [95% CI, 0.66-1.40]). CONCLUSIONS: Earlier or later initiation of renal replacement therapy did not affect mortality. However, earlier renal replacement therapy was associated with significantly shorter ICU and hospital length of stay, whereas later renal replacement therapy was associated with decreased use of renal replacement therapy and decreased risk of catheter-related blood stream infection. These findings can be used to guide the management of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury.

Effect of comorbidities on survival in patients >80 years of age at onset of renal replacement therapy: data from the ERA-EDTA Registry.

BACKGROUND: The number of elderly patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) is increasing. The survival and quality of life of these patients may be lower if they have multiple comorbidities at the onset of RRT. The aim of this study was to explore whether the effect of comorbidities on survival is similar in elderly RRT patients compared with younger ones. METHODS: Included were 9333 patients ≥80 years of age and 48 352 patients 20-79 years of age starting RRT between 2010 and 2015 from 15 national or regional registries submitting data to the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplantation Association Registry. Patients were followed until death or the end of 2016. Survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier curves and the relative risk of death associated with comorbidities was assessed by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Patients ≥80 years of age had a greater comorbidity burden than younger patients. However, relative risks of death associated with all studied comorbidities (diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, chronic heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease and malignancy) were significantly lower in elderly patients compared with younger patients. Also, the increase in absolute mortality rates associated with an increasing number of comorbidities was smaller in elderly patients. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidities are common in elderly patients who enter RRT, but the risk of death associated with comorbidities is less than in younger patients. This should be taken into account when assessing the prognosis of elderly RRT patients.

Acute Kidney Injury, Fluid Overload, and Renal Replacement Therapy Differ by Underlying Diagnosis in Neonatal Extracorporeal Support and Impact Mortality Disparately.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to characterize acute kidney injury (AKI), fluid overload (FO), and renal replacement therapy (RRT) utilization by diagnostic categories and examine associations between these complications and mortality by category. METHODS: To test our hypotheses, we conducted a retrospective multicenter, cohort study including 446 neonates (categories: 209 with cardiac disease, 114 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia [CDH], 123 with respiratory disease) requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011. RESULTS: AKI, FO, and RRT each varied by diagnostic category. AKI and RRT receipt were most common in those neonates with cardiac disease. Subjects with CDH had highest peak %FO (51% vs. 28% cardiac vs. 32% respiratory; p < 0.01). Hospital survival was 55% and varied by diagnostic category (45% cardiac vs. 48% CDH vs. 79% respiratory; p < 0.001). A significant interaction suggested risk of mortality differed by diagnostic category in the presence or absence of AKI. In its absence, diagnosis of CDH (vs. respiratory disease) (OR 3.04, 95% CL 1.14-8.11) independently predicted mortality. In all categories, peak %FO (OR 1.20, 95% CL 1.11-1.30) and RRT receipt (OR 2.12, 95% CL 1.20-3.73) were independently associated with mortality. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: Physiologically distinct ECMO diagnoses warrant individualized treatment strategies given variable incidence and effects of AKI, FO, and RRT by category on mortality.

The incidence and effect of resternotomy following cardiac surgery on morbidity and mortality: a 1-year national audit on behalf of the Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical Care.

Over 30,000 adult cardiac operations are carried out in the UK annually. A small number of these patients need to return to theatre in the first few days after the initial surgery, but the exact proportion is unknown. The majority of these resternotomies are for bleeding or cardiac tamponade. The Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical Care carried out a 1-year national audit of resternotomy in 2018. Twenty-three of the 35 centres that were eligible participated. The overall resternotomy rate (95%CI) within the period of admission for the initial operation in these centres was 3.6% (3.37-3.85). The rate varied between centres from 0.69% to 7.6%. Of the 849 patients who required resternotomy, 127 subsequently died, giving a mortality rate (95%CI) of 15.0% (12.7-17.5). In patients who underwent resternotomy, the median (IQR [range]) length of stay on ICU was 5 (2-10 [0-335]) days, and time to tracheal extubation was 20 (12-48 [0-2880]) hours. A total of 89.3% of patients who underwent resternotomy were transfused red cells, with a median (IQR [range]) of 4 (2-7 [1-1144]) units of red blood cells. The rate (95%CI) of needing renal replacement therapy was 23.4% (20.6-26.5). This UK-wide audit has demonstrated that resternotomy after cardiac surgery is associated with prolonged intensive care stay, high rates of blood transfusion, renal replacement therapy and very high mortality. Further research into this area is required to try to improve patient care and outcomes in patients who require resternotomy in the first 24 h after cardiac surgery.

Long-term outcomes following vehicle trauma related acute kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy: a nationwide population study.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication of traumatic injury; however, long-term outcomes such as mortality and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) have been rarely reported in this important patient population. We compared the long-term outcome of vehicle-traumatic and non-traumatic AKI requiring renal replacement therapy (AKI-RRT). This nationwide cohort study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Vehicle-trauma patients who were suffered from vehicle accidents developing AKI-RRT during hospitalization were identified, and matching non-traumatic AKI-RRT patients were identified between 2000 and 2010. The incidences of ESKD, 30-day, and long-term mortality were evaluated, and clinical and demographic associations with these outcomes were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression models. 546 vehicle-traumatic AKI-RRT patients, median age 47.6 years (interquartile range: 29.0-64.3) and 76.4% male, were identified. Compared to non-traumatic AKI-RRT, vehicle-traumatic AKI-RRT patients had longer length of stay in hospital [median (IQR):15 (5-34) days vs. 6 (3-11) days; p < 0.001). After propensity matching with non-traumatic AKI-RRT cases with similar demographic and clinical characteristics. Vehicle-traumatic AKI-RRT patients had lower rates of long-term mortality (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.473; 95% CI, 0.392-0.571; p < 0.001), but similar rates of ESKD (HR, 1.166; 95% CI, 0.829-1.638; p = 0.377) and short-term risk of death (HR, 1.134; 95% CI, 0.894-1.438; p = 0.301) as non-traumatic AKI-RRT patients. In competing risk models that focused on ESKD, vehicle-traumatic AKI-RRT patients were associated with lower ESKD rates (HR, 0.552; 95% CI, 0.325-0.937; p = 0.028) than non-traumatic AKI-RRT patients. Despite severe injuries, vehicle-traumatic AKI-RRT patients had better long-term survival than non-traumatic AKI-RRT patients, but a similar risk of ESKD. Our results provide a better understanding of long-term outcomes after vehicle-traumatic AKI-RRT.

Impact of the dialysate acid component on haemodialysis mortality rates.

BACKGROUND: No prospective study has evaluated the long-term effect on mortality of the new acid concentrates added to bicarbonate dialysate. The aim of this pharmacoepidemiological study was to evaluate the association between hydrochloric or citric acid-based dialysate and mortality on haemodialysis (HD). METHODS: This study included 117 796 patients with 3 723 887 months on HD recorded in the national French Renal Epidemiology and Information Network registry. Dialysate acid components were retrospectively reconstructed for each facility. All patients on HD were associated each month with an exposure based on that at their facility of treatment. We took each patient's time-varying exposure into account to calculate the monthly mortality rates for each exposure. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for mortality were calculated with a Poisson regression, with acetic acid as the reference. Regressions were adjusted for initial clinical characteristics (age, gender, previous cardiovascular events, active malignancy, diabetes, pulmonary disease, mobility), dialysis technique and location (in-centre, outpatient centre, self-care unit) and ESRD vintage, updated monthly. RESULTS: The crude mortality rate per 1000 patient-months with citric acid {11.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 11.1-12.0]} was lower than with either acetic acid [12.9 (95% CI 12.8-13.1)] or hydrochloric acid [12.8 (95% CI 12.2-13.5)]. For the 2014-17 period, the IRR for mortality with citric acid [adjusted IRR 0.94 (95% CI 0.90-0.99)] and with hydrochloric acid [adjusted IRR 0.86 (95% CI 0.79-0.94)] were significantly lower than with acetic acid. CONCLUSION: This post-marketing study of long-term exposure to dialysate acidifiers at the patient level found the use of citric and hydrochloric acid-based dialysates, compared with acetic acid, was associated with lower mortality.

Long-term mortality risk associated with citric acid- and acetic acid-based bicarbonate haemodialysis: a historical cohort propensity score-matched study in a large, multicentre, population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Citric acid-based bicarbonate dialysate (CiD) is increasingly used in haemodialysis (HD) to improve haemodynamic tolerance and haemocompatibility associated with acetic acid-based bicarbonate dialysate. Safety concerns over CiD have been raised recently after a French ecological study reported higher mortality hazard in HD clinics with high CiD consumption. Therefore, we evaluated the mortality risk associated with various acidifiers (AcD, CiD) of bicarbonate dialysate. METHODS: In this multicentre, historical cohort study, we included adult incident HD patients (European, Middle-East and Africa Fresenius Medical Care network; 1 January 2014 to 31 October 2018). We recorded acidifiers of bicarbonate dialysis and dialysate composition for each dialysis session. In the primary intention-to-treat analysis, patients were assigned to the exposed group if they received CiD in >70% of sessions during the first 3 months (CiD70%), whereas the non-exposed group received no CiD at all. In the secondary analysis, exposure was assessed on a monthly basis for the whole duration of the follow-up. RESULTS: We enrolled 10 121 incident patients during the study period. Of them, 371 met the criteria for inclusion in CiD70%. After propensity score matching, mortality was 11.43 [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.86-14.75] and 12.04 (95% CI 9.44-15.35) deaths/100 person-years in the CiD0% and CiD70% groups, respectively (P = 0.80). A similar association trend was observed in the secondary analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We did not observe evidence of increased mortality among patients exposed to CiD in a large European cohort of dialysis patients despite the fact that physicians were more inclined to prescribe CiD to subjects with worse medical conditions.

Analysis of influencing factors of no/low response to preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.

The aim of this study is to investigate the influencing factors associated with no/low response to preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients. A total of 79 patients were included in this prospective study. Fifteen factors that might affect the resistance to CCRT were included in this logistic regression analysis, these factors include the general clinical data of patients, the expression status of tumor stem cell marker CD44v6 and the volumetric imaging parameters of primary tumor lesions. We found that the no/low response status to preoperative CCRT was positively correlated with the real tumor volume (RTV), the total surface area of tumor (TSA), and CD44v6 expression, whereas negatively correlated with the tumor compactness (TC). According to the results of logistic regression analysis, two formulas that could predict whether or not no/low response to preoperative CCRT were established. The Area Under Curve (AUC) of the two formulas and those significant measurement data (RTV, TC, TSA) were 0.900, 0.858, 0.771, 0.754, 0.859, the sensitivity were 95.8%, 79.17%, 62.50%, 95.83%, 62.5%, the specificity were 70.9%, 74.55%, 83.64%,47.27%, 96.36%, the positive predictive values were 58.96%, 57.58%, 62.51%,44.23%, 88.23%, the negative predictive values were 97.48%, 89.13%, 83.64%, 96.29%, and 85.48%, respectively.

Exploring the choices and outcomes of older patients with advanced kidney disease.

A lack of data on patient choices and outcomes at the time of pre-dialysis planning limits meaningful shared decision making, particularly in older frailer patients. In this large retrospective cohort study of patients aged over 70 seen by the pre-dialysis clinic (2004-2016) of a large single centre in the United Kingdom (1,216 patients), age, sex, comorbidity, poverty and frailty were used to predict choice of renal replacement therapy (RRT) over maximum conservative management (MCM). The impact of patient choice of RRT versus MCM was used to predict survival from the time of choice using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Older age, female sex, greater poverty and greater frailty were associated with choosing MCM, whilst comorbidity had no significant impact on choice. At 5 years of follow up, 49% of all patients had died without receiving RRT. Over 70% of the patients choosing MCM died with better kidney function than the median level at which those starting RRT initiated treatment. Frailty and age were better predictors of survival than comorbidity and in patients with at least moderate frailty, RRT offered no survival benefit over MCM. In conclusion, analysing outcomes from the time of choice may improve shared decision making. Frailty should be routinely assessed and collected and further work may help predict which patients are unlikely to survive or progress to end stage renal disease and may not need to be burdened with making a pre-dialysis choice.

Independent risk factors and the long-term outcomes for postoperative continuous renal replacement treatment in patients who underwent emergency surgery for type a acute aortic dissection.

OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in patients undergoing emergency surgery for type A acute aortic dissection (TA-AAD) and evaluate the perioperative and long-term outcomes. METHODS: From January 2014 to December 2018, 712 consecutive patients were enrolled in the study. These patients were divided into two groups according to whether or not needed postoperative CRRT: the CRRT group vs the control group. Univariate analysis and binary logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of CRRT. To avoid the selection bias and confounders, baseline characteristics were matched for propensity scores. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to provide survival estimates at postoperative points in time. RESULTS: Before propensity score matching, univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in age, preoperative hypertension, pericardial effusion, preoperative serum creatinine (sCr), intraoperative need for combined coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or mitral valve or tricuspid valve surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time, extracorporeal circulation assistant time, aortic cross-clamp time, drainage volume 24 h after surgery and ventilator time between two groups. All were higher in the CRRT group (P < 0.05). These risk factors were included in binary logistic regression. It showed that preoperative sCr and CPB time were independent risk factors for CRRT patients undergoing surgery for TA-AAD. And there were significant differences regarding 30-day mortality (P < 0.001) and long-term overall cumulative survival (P < 0.001) with up to a 6-year follow-up. After propensity scoring, 29 pairs (58 patients) were successfully matched. Among these patients, the analysis showed that CPB time was still significantly longer in the CRRT group (P = 0.004), and the 30-day mortality rate was also higher in this group (44.8% vs 10.3%; P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: CRRT after TA-AAD is common and worsened short- and long- term mortality. The preoperative sCr and CPB time are independent risk factors for postoperative CRRT patients. Shorten the CPB time as much as possible is recommended to reduce the risk of CRRT after the operation.

Acute Kidney Injury in Cardiogenic Shock.

This column is supplied by Amol Patel, DO, and Peter Nguyen, MD. Dr. Patel is an internal medicine resident at Houston Methodist Hospital, where he is in his final year as chief resident. He received his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University and his medical degree at UNT Health Science center in Forth Worth, Texas. Dr. Nguyen is a nephrologist with Houston Kidney Consultants and practices at Houston Methodist Hospital, where he is currently the secretary of the medical staff. He obtained his medical degree from Texas Tech School of Medicine and completed his residency and nephrology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Long-term effects of citric acid-based bicarbonate haemodialysis on patient outcomes: a survival propensity score-matched study in western France.

BACKGROUND: Citric acid-based bicarbonate haemodialysis (CIT-HD) has gained more clinical acceptance over the last few years in France and is a substitute for other acidifiers [e.g. acetic acid (CH3COOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl)]. This trend was justified by several clinical benefits compared with CH3COOH as well as the desire to avoid the consequences of the corrosive action of HCl, but a nationwide clinical report raised concerns about the long-term safety of CIT-HD. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of CIT-HD exposure on patient outcomes in western France. METHODS: This is a population-based retrospective multicentre observational study performed in 1132 incident end-stage kidney disease patients in five sanitary territories in western France who started their renal replacement therapy after 1 January 2008 and followed up through 15 October 2018. Relevant data, collected prospectively with the same medical software, were anonymously aggregated for the purposes of the study. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the effects of citrate exposure on all-cause mortality. To provide a control group to CIT-HD one, propensity score matching (PSM) at 2:1 was performed in two steps: the first analysis was intended to be exploratory, comparing patients who received citrate ≤80% of the time (CIT-HD ≤80) versus those who received citrate >80% of the time (CIT-HD >80), while the second analysis was intended to be explanatory in comparing patients with 0% (CIT-HD0) versus 100% citrate time exposure (CIT-HD100). RESULTS: After PSM, in the exploratory part of the analysis, 432 CIT-HD ≤80 patients were compared with 216 CIT-HD >80 patients and no difference was found for all-cause mortality using the Kaplan-Meier model (log-rank 0.97), univariate Cox regression analysis {hazard ratio [HR] 1.01 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71-1.40]} and multivariate Cox regression analysis [HR 1.11 (95% CI 0.76-1.61)] when adjusted for nine variables with clinical pertinence and high statistical relevance in the univariate analysis. In the explanatory part of the analysis, 316 CIT-HD0 patients were then compared with 158 CIT-HD100 patients and no difference was found using the Kaplan-Meier model (log-rank 0.06), univariate Cox regression analysis [HR 0.69 (95% CI 0.47-1.03)] and multivariate Cox regression analysis [HR 0.87 (95% CI 0.57-1.33)] when adjusted for seven variables with clinical pertinence and high statistical relevance in the univariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study support the notion that CIT-HD exposure ≤6 years has no significant effect on all-cause mortality in HD patients. This finding remains true for patients receiving high-volume online haemodiafiltration, a modality most frequently prescribed in this cohort.

Clinical significance of urinary obstruction in critically ill patients with urinary tract infections.

Urinary obstruction may be a complicating factor in critically ill patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) and requires efforts for identifying and controlling the infection source. However, its significance in clinical practice is uncertain. This retrospective study investigated the overall hospital courses of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with UTIs from the emergency department.Baseline severity was assessed by the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score; outcomes included probability and inotropic-, ventilator-, renal replacement therapy (RRT)-, and ICU-free days and 28-day mortality.Of 122 patients with UTIs, 99 had abdominal computed tomography scans. Patients without computed tomography scans more frequently had quadriplegia and a urinary catheter than those without scans (P = .001 and .01). Urinary obstruction was identified in 40 patients who had higher SOFA scores and lactate levels (P = .01 and P < .001). The use and free days of inotropic drugs and ventilator did not differ between the groups. However, patients with obstruction were more likely to require RRT and had shorter durations of RRT-free days (odds ratio 3.8; P = .06 and estimate -3.0; P = .04). Durations of ICU-free days were shorter, but it disappeared after adjustment for initial SOFA scores (estimate -2.3; P = .15). Impact of the timing of urinary drainage on outcomes was evaluated, demonstrating that an intervention within 72 hours lengthened the duration of RRT-free days compared with that after 72 hours (estimate -6.0 days; P = .03). On the other hand, the study did not find the association between other outcomes including 28-day mortality and the timing of urinary drainage.Urinary obstruction can be a complicating factor, resulting in a higher probability of RRT implementation and shorter durations of RRT- and ICU-free days in critically ill patients with UTIs. Furthermore, delayed intervention for urinary drainage may result in longer durations of RRT. Efforts should be warranted to find the presence of urinary obstruction and to control infection source in critically ill patients with UTIs.

Clinical characteristics at the renal replacement therapy initiation of Japanese pediatric patients: a nationwide cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Although there is debate regarding the timing of initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in adults with end-stage renal disease, there is a paucity of reliable epidemiological data on pediatric patients. The present study was performed to investigate current practice in Japan with regard to the timing of initiation of RRT in children based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). METHODS: A total of 649 pediatric patients < 20 years old with eGFR at the initiation of RRT between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2013 were included in the study. Baseline eGFR was calculated for each patient using the Schwartz formula. RESULTS: eGFR at the start of RRT was 12.1 mL/min/1.73 m2 [interquartile range (IQR) 8.4-16.3]. A total of 209 children (32.2%) had high eGFR (eGFR > 15 mL/min/1.73 m2) at the initiation of RRT. Initiation of RRT was more likely in those undergoing preemptive transplantation (PEKT) with high eGFR [odds ratio (OR) 4.16; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.95-8.90, P < 0.001]. There were 31 deaths of various causes during follow-up, with infections representing the leading causes of death. CONCLUSIONS: The median eGFR at the initiation of RRT in children showed a wide range of variation. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of the decision regarding when to initiate RRT in individual pediatric patients.

Impact of Renal Function Trajectory on Renal Replacement Therapy and Mortality Risk after Renal Artery Revascularization.

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of renal function trajectory, defined as the change in renal function over time before and after renal artery stent placement, on long-term risk for renal replacement therapy (RRT) and mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) 6-12 months before renal artery stent placement, at the time of intervention, and 6-12 months after intervention were determined in 398 patients. The effect of eGFR change before and after renal artery stent placement was calculated. Cox proportional-hazards ratio was used to determine the risks for RRT and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: The risk for RRT was significantly influenced by eGFR change from the time of intervention to follow-up at 6-12 month after treatment (P = .02). In addition, among patients with a postintervention eGFR ≤ 40 mL/min/1.73 m2, for every 1 unit of eGFR increase, there was a significant decrease in RRT and all-cause mortality (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). Secondary parameters that increased RRT risk included diabetes at the time of intervention (P = .03), increased baseline proteinuria (P < .001), and stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD; P = .01 and P = .003, respectively). Multivariate analysis demonstrated higher all-cause mortality rates among patients with diabetes at the time of intervention (P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Postintervention eGFR trajectory improvement approaching 40 mL/min/1.73 m2 was associated with decreased RRT and mortality risk. These findings suggest that patients with advanced CKD and renal artery stenosis may benefit from revascularization regardless of their preinterventional renal function measurement.

Effects of dietary protein intake on renal outcome and mortality in patients with advanced diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: The difficulty of adhering to a low-protein diet is a serious limitation of randomized controlled trials aimed at validating the efficacy of this therapy. In this observational study of patients with diabetic nephropathy, we examined the association of dietary protein intake (DPI) with renal outcome and mortality, taking into account the nutritional status. METHODS: We conducted a single-center historical cohort study of 449 adult Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio of ≥ 300 mg/g or estimated glomerular filtration rate of < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2. DPI was estimated with a formula using nitrogen levels in spot urine and body mass index. Malnutrition was defined as the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index of ≤ 98. The primary and secondary endpoints were renal replacement therapy (RRT) initiation and mortality before RRT initiation, respectively. The Fine and Gray subdistribution hazard model was used to determine the relative effects of DPI on the respective endpoint. RESULTS: Decreased DPI was associated with lower incidence of RRT with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.72-0.92, p < 0.001). The interaction between DPI and nutritional status with respect to mortality was significant (p interaction = 0.047). Decreased DPI was a risk factor for mortality in patients with malnutrition (p = 0.009) but not in those without malnutrition (p = 0.559). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy, lower DPI was associated with lower incidence of RRT initiation, suggesting beneficial effects of a low-protein diet on kidneys. Conversely, lower DPI might lead to increased mortality in patients with malnutrition.