Experience in Spain with the first patients in home hemodialysis treated with low-flow dialysate monitors. / Experiencia en España con los primeros pacientes en hemodiálisis domiciliaria tratados con monitores de bajo flujo de líquido de diálisis.

Home hemodialysis (HHD) with low-flow dialysate devices has gained popularity in recent years due to its simple design, portability, and ability to provide greater freedom of movement for our patients. However, there are doubts about the adequacy that this technology offers, since it uses monitors with low-flow bath and lactate. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the clinical benefits of low-flow HHD with the NxStage System One® recently introduced in Spain. We present the results of an observational, retrospective cohort study that included the first patients who started short daily HHD with this device in 12 Spanish centers. We analyzed the evolution of 86 patients at 0, 6 and 12 months, including data related to prescription, and evolution of biochemical parameters related to dialysis dose, anemia, mineral-bone metabolism; evolution of residual renal function, medication usage, and causes of withdrawal during the followup. We were able to demonstrate that this NxStage System One® monitor, in patients with HHD, have provided an adequate dialysis dose, with optimal ultrafiltration rate, with improvement of main biochemical markers of dialysis adequacy. The usage of this technique was associated to a decrease of antihypertensive drugs, phosphate binders and erythropoietin agents, with very good results both patient and technique survival. The simplicity of the technique, together with its good clinical outcomes, should facilitate the growth and utilization of HHD, both in incident and prevalent patients.

Sarcoma de Kaposi intestinal en paciente trasplantado renal / Intestinal KaposiÆs Sarcoma in renal transplant patient

El sarcoma de Kaposi (SK) es una neoplasia vascular, en la cual podemos distinguir cuatro formas clínicas: la clásica o mediterránea, endémica o africana, asociada al VIH y la iatrogénica. Sus manifestaciones clínicas más frecuentes son las lesiones mucocutáneas y afectación de ganglios linfáticos si bien puede cursar con afectación a nivel visceral. Presentamos a continuación el caso de un paciente trasplantado renal que fue diagnosticado de un sarcoma de Kaposi intestinal, sin lesiones cutáneas asociadas

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a vascular neoplasm, in which we can distinguish four clinical forms: the classic or Mediterranean, endemic or African, associated with HIV and iatrogenic. Its most frequent clinical manifestations are mucocutaneous lesions and lymph node involvement, although it may manifest with involvement at the visceral level. We present the case of a renal transplant patient who was diagnosed with an intestinal Kaposi's sarcoma, with no associated cutaneous lesions

Utility of a thematic network in primary health care: a controlled interventional study in a rural area.

BACKGROUND: UniNet is an Internet-based thematic network for a virtual community of users (VCU). It supports a virtual multidisciplinary community for physicians, focused on the improvement of clinical practice. This is a study of the effects of a thematic network such as UniNet on primary care medicine in a rural area, specifically as a platform of communication between specialists at the hospital and doctors in the rural area. METHODS: In order to study the effects of a thematic network such as UniNet on primary care medicine in a rural area, we designed an interventional study that included a control group. The measurements included the number of patient displacements due to disease, number of patient hospital stays and the number of prescriptions of drugs of low therapeutic utility and generic drug prescriptions by doctors. These data were analysed and compared with those of the control center. RESULTS: Our study showed positive changes in medical practice, reflected in the improvement of the evaluated parameters in the rural health area where the interventional study was carried out, compared with the control area. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of UniNet as a potential medium to improve the quality of medical care in rural areas. CONCLUSION: The rural doctors had an effective, useful, user-friendly and cheap source of medical information that may have contributed to the improvement observed in the medical quality indices.