A clinical score to predict recovery in end-stage kidney disease due to acute kidney injury.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major contributor to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). About one-third of patients with ESKD due to AKI recover kidney function. However, the inability to accurately predict recovery leads to improper triage of clinical monitoring and impacts the quality of care in ESKD. Methods: Using data from the United States Renal Data System from 2005 to 2014 (n = 22 922), we developed a clinical score to predict kidney recovery within 90 days and within 12 months after dialysis initiation in patients with ESKD due to AKI. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the effect of various covariates on the primary outcome of kidney recovery to develop the scoring system. The resulting logistic parameter estimates were transformed into integer point totals by doubling and rounding the estimates. Internal validation was performed. Results: Twenty-four percent and 34% of patients with ESKD due to AKI recovered kidney function within 90 days and 12 months, respectively. Factors contributing to points in the two scoring systems were similar but not identical, and included age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, congestive heart failure, cancer, amputation, functional status, hemoglobin and prior nephrology care. Three score categories of increasing recovery were formed: low score (0-6), medium score (7-9) and high score (10-12), which exhibited 90-day recovery rates of 12%, 26% and 57%. For the 12-month scores, the low, medium and high groups consisted of scores 0-5, 6-8 and 9-11, with 12-month recovery rates of 16%, 33% and 62%, respectively. The internal validation assessment showed no overfitting of the models. Conclusion: A clinical score derived from information available at incident dialysis predicts renal recovery at 90 days and 12 months in patients with presumed ESKD due to AKI. The score can help triage appropriate monitoring to facilitate recovery and begin planning long-term dialysis care for others.

Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Kidney Failure.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in patients with kidney failure, and their risk of cardiovascular events is 10 to 20 times higher as compared with the general population. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated 508 822 patients who initiated dialysis between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2014 using the United States Renal Data System with linked Medicare claims. We determined hospitalization rates for cardiovascular events, defined by acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, and stroke. We examined the association of sex with outcome of cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death, and all-cause death using adjusted time-to-event models. The mean age was 70±12 years and 44.7% were women. The cardiovascular event rate was 232 per thousand person-years (95% CI, 231-233), with a higher rate in women than in men (248 per thousand person-years [95% CI, 247-250] versus 219 per thousand person-years [95% CI, 217-220]). Women had a 14% higher risk of cardiovascular events than men (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14 [95% CI, 1.13-1.16]). Women had a 16% higher risk of heart failure (HR, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.15-1.18]), a 31% higher risk of stroke (HR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.28-1.34]), and no difference in risk of acute coronary syndrome (HR, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.99-1.03]). Women had a lower risk of cardiovascular death (HR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.88-0.90]) and a lower risk of all-cause death than men (HR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.95-0.97]). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing dialysis, women have a higher risk of cardiovascular events of heart failure and stroke than men. Women have a lower adjusted risk of cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality.

Assessment of diaper dermatitis using a novel electronic health record-embedded scale.

OBJECTIVE: Quantify the evolution and severity of neonatal skin injury, specifically diaper skin compromise, by embedding a validated skin integrity evaluation into the electronic health record (EHR). METHODS: Retrospective longitudinal cohort analysis of 747 patients stratified by gestation: 22-27, 28-31, 32-24, and 35-37 weeks, from birth to discharge. Primary outcomes were time to first perineal erythema, duration as percent days with erythema, and severity as maximum score. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models and multiple linear regression methods. RESULTS: Seventy percent had erythema and, of these, 34% had at least one high score with bleeding. Days with erythema ranged from 34-44% (p < 0.05). Days to first erythema were inversely correlated with gestational age. Risks for severe injury included short time to first erythema, 5 or more stools/day, infection, and Caucasian race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: The EHR-based scale can be readily implemented to mitigate diaper skin compromise in premature infants.

The Role of Complement Split-products as Biomarkers for Acute Antibody-mediated Rejection of Kidney Allografts.

Acute antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is mediated by the activation of the classical complement system in addition to noncomplement-dependent inflammatory pathways. Complement fixation by donor-specific antibodies leads to cleavage of the complement proteins C4, C3, and C5 to produce multiple complement split-products (CSP) and the end-effector membrane attack complex, C5b-9. In this study, we investigate CSP as potential biomarkers for AMR. Methods: In an Institutional Review Board-approved, prospective, controlled study, CSP levels were measured in blood and urine samples from consecutive kidney transplant recipients with biopsy-proven AMR (n = 10), acute cellular rejection (ACR) (n = 5), or no rejection (n = 5). After obtaining informed consent, samples were collected at the time of biopsy (day 0) and days 15 (end of rejection treatment) and 30 postbiopsy for AMR and ACR patients. ELISA was used to measure C5a, C4d, and soluble C5b-9 concentrations in blood and urine, in addition to factor Bb (Bb) concentration in blood only. Kidney transplant histopathology was evaluated using the Banff 2013 classification. Rejection treatment and follow-up were performed per standard of care. Results: Blood and urine CSP levels adjusted to urine creatinine were not elevated in AMR compared to no rejection and ACR arms. There was significant variability in CSP concentration within each of the study groups. Conclusion: Our study does not support the utility of CSP as surrogate biomarkers of AMR; however, it is limited by the small sample size and larger studies may be warranted.

Predictors of the Provision of Mother's Milk Feedings in Newborns Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Breast milk reduces morbidity and mortality in infants admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Objectives: We determined predictors of procuring mother's own milk (MOM) among NICU-admitted newborn-mother dyads: (1) initiation of any milk expression; (2) initiation of milk expression within 6 hours of birth; (3) MOM as the first enteral feeding; (4) colostrum for oral care within 36 hours of birth if not yet orally fed; and (5) provision of MOM at 21 days of life or discharge, whichever occurred first. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of NICU-admitted newborn-mother dyads at an urban medical center from June 1, 2018-May 31, 2019. We excluded infants not directly admitted to the NICU, those never enterally fed, multiple gestations if not the first to be discharged, and infants discharged to a nonbiological caregiver. We used chi-square analysis to examine unadjusted associations between independent variables and MOM outcomes and then used logistic regression to determine the adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (AOR [95% CI]) for predictors of MOM outcomes. Results: There were 341 mother-infant dyads who met inclusion criteria and 71% of these mothers initiated milk expression. Smoking, multiparity, gestational diabetes, and Hepatitis C lowered the odds for at least one MOM outcome; whereas mothers who delivered at 28-32 weeks versus ≥33 weeks, and infants with birthweight <1,500 g versus 1,500-2,500 g had higher odds for at least one MOM outcome. Conclusion: Maternal/infant dyad characteristics may predict some, but not all NICU breastfeeding outcomes. This suggests that hospital practices may influence these outcomes and can inform future interventions.

The Practice of Cystoscopy with Hydrodistention Since the 2011 American Urological Association Clinical Guideline on Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: We determined the rate of cystoscopy with hydrodistention (CH) before and after the 2011 American Urological Association (AUA) amended clinical guideline, "Diagnosis and Treatment of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome." METHODS: Clinical encounters with a diagnosis of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) where cystoscopy with and without hydrodistention was performed were identified in the Vizient® Clinical Data Base between January 2009 and February 2020. Demographic and clinical information such as patient age, gender, race, treating physician specialty, insurance type and type of hospital (teaching vs nonteaching) was recorded. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon 2-sample test and chi-square test were used to compare variables. An interrupted time series analysis was used to assess the change in CH rate following the June 2011 AUA guideline. RESULTS: From January 2009 to February 2020, 69,983 encounters were identified to have an IC/BPS diagnosis and to have undergone outpatient cystoscopy, of which 7,502 (10.7%) were CH. Compared to those not undergoing CH, subjects with IC/BPS undergoing CH were younger, predominantly female, Caucasian and had commercial insurance. Before the guideline, across all medical specialties, the base rate of CH was rising from 16.6% at a rate of 0.12% per month. Following guideline release, the CH rate dropped by 6.8%, declining 0.07% per month until February 2020. This pattern was most pronounced in urology relative to all other medical specialties. CONCLUSIONS: The monthly average rate of CH among individuals with IC/BPS undergoing an outpatient CH dropped from nearly 17% before the 2011 AUA guideline to less than 10% in early 2020.

Contraceptive Use Among Women With End-Stage Kidney Disease on Dialysis in the United States.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Although end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) adversely affects fertility, pregnancies can occur among women receiving dialysis. ESKD increases the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes and little is known about contraceptive use in women undergoing dialysis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Using the US Renal Data System covering January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2014, we evaluated for each calendar year women who for the entire year were aged 15 to 44 years, receiving dialysis, and with Medicare as the primary payer. PREDICTORS: Age, race/ethnicity, and calendar year of prevalent ESKD. OUTCOME: Contraceptive use. ANALYTIC APPROACH: We determined rates of contraceptive use and used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with contraceptive use. RESULTS: The study cohort included 35,732 women and represented 115,713 person-years. The rate of contraceptive use was 5.30% of person-years (95% CI, 5.17%-5.42%). Overall, contraceptive use increased from 2005 to 2014 (4.21%; 95% CI, 3.84%-4.59% vs 6.54%, 95% CI, 6.10%-6.99%). Compared with women aged 25 to 29 years, contraceptive use was higher in women aged 15 to 24 years (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.18-1.43) and lower in women aged 30 to 34 years (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.68-0.81), 35 to 39 years (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.42-0.50), and 40 to 44 years (OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.27-0.34). Compared with White women, contraceptive use was higher in Black (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.02-1.24) and Native American women (OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.25-2.05). Women with ESKD due to glomerulonephritis had a higher likelihood of contraceptive use than women with ESKD due to diabetes (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06-1.42). Women receiving peritoneal dialysis had a lower likelihood of contraceptive use than women receiving hemodialysis (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78-0.93). Compared with women without predialysis nephrology care, contraceptive use was higher in women who received predialysis nephrology care for 12 or fewer months (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.09-1.37) and more than 12 months (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.20-1.47). LIMITATIONS: Retrospective design and use of administrative data. CONCLUSIONS: Among women with ESKD undergoing dialysis, contraceptive use remains low at 5.30%. Younger age, Native American and Black race/ethnicity, ESKD due to glomerulonephritis, hemodialysis, and predialysis nephrology care are associated with a higher likelihood of contraceptive use. The study highlights the importance of prepregnancy counseling for contraceptive use in women receiving dialysis.

Mortality and Recovery Associated with Kidney Failure due to Acute Kidney Injury.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: AKI requiring dialysis is a contributor to the growing burden of kidney failure, yet little is known about the frequency and patterns of recovery of AKI and its effect on outcomes in patients on incident dialysis. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Using the US Renal Data System, we evaluated a cohort of 1,045,540 patients on incident dialysis from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2014, retrospectively. We examined the association of kidney failure due to AKI with the outcome of all-cause mortality and the associations of sex and race with kidney recovery. RESULTS: Mean age was 63±15 years, and 32,598 (3%) patients on incident dialysis had kidney failure due to AKI. Compared with kidney failure due to diabetes mellitus, kidney failure attributed to AKI was associated with a higher mortality in the first 0-3 months following dialysis initiation (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.24 to 1.32) and 3-6 months (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 1.20). Of the patients with kidney failure due to AKI, 11,498 (35%) eventually recovered their kidney function, 95% of those within 12 months. Women had a lower likelihood of kidney recovery than men (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.83 to 0.90). Compared with whites, blacks (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.64 to 0.72), Asians (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.69 to 0.96), Hispanics (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.76 to 0.89), and Native Americans (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.54 to 0.95) had lower likelihoods of kidney recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney failure due to AKI confers a higher risk of mortality in the first 6 months compared with kidney failure due to diabetes or other causes. Recovery within 12 months is common, although less so among women than men and among black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American patients than white patients.

Pregnancy-Related Acute Kidney Injury in the United States: Clinical Outcomes and Health Care Utilization.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) during pregnancy is a public health problem and is associated with maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Clinical outcomes and health care utilization in pregnancy-related AKI, especially in women with diabetes, are not well studied. METHODS: Using data from the 2006 to 2015 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we identified 42,190,790 pregnancy-related hospitalizations in women aged 15-49 years. We determined factors associated with AKI, including race/ethnicity, and associations between AKI and inpatient mortality, and between AKI and cardiovascular (CV) events, during pregnancy-related hospitalizations. We calculated health care expenditures from pregnancy-related AKI hospitalizations. RESULTS: Overall, the rate of AKI during pregnancy-related hospitalizations was 0.08%. In the adjusted regression analysis, a higher likelihood of AKI during pregnancy-related hospitalizations was seen in 2015 (OR 2.20; 95% CI 1.89-2.55) than in 2006; in older women aged 36-40 years (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.36-1.64) and 41-49 years (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.84-2.45) than in women aged 20-25 years; in blacks (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.40-1.65) and Native Americans (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.10-1.91) than in whites, and in diabetic women (OR 4.43; 95% CI 4.04-4.86) than in those without diabetes. Pregnancy-related hospitalizations with AKI were associated with a higher likelihood of inpatient mortality (OR 13.50; 95% CI 10.47-17.42) and CV events (OR 9.74; 95% CI 9.08-10.46) than were hospitalizations with no AKI. The median cost was higher for a delivery hospitalization with AKI than without AKI (USD 18,072 vs. 4,447). CONCLUSION: The rates of pregnancy-related AKI hospitalizations have increased during the last decade. Factors associated with a higher likelihood of AKI during pregnancy included older age, black and Native American race/ethnicity, and diabetes. Hospitalizations with pregnancy-related AKI have an increased risk of inpatient mortality and CV events, and a higher health care utilization than do those without AKI.

The potential role of dashboard use and navigation in reducing medical errors of an electronic health record system: a mixed-method simulation handoff study.

The dashboards of electronic health record (EHR) systems could potentially support the chart biopsy that occurs before or after physician handoffs. In this study, we conducted a simulation handoff study and recorded the participants' navigation patterns in an EHR system mock-up. We analyzed the navigation patterns of dashboard use in terms of duration, frequency, and sequence, and we examined the relationship between dashboard use in chart biopsy and the errors identified after handoffs. The results show that the participants frequently used the dashboard as an information hub and as an information resource to help them navigate the EHR system and answer the questions in a nursing call. Moreover, using the dashboard as an information hub can help reduce imprecision and factual errors in handoffs. Our findings suggest the need for a "context-aware" dashboard to accommodate dynamic navigation patterns and to support clinical work as well as to reduce medical errors.

Racial Differences and Factors Associated with Pregnancy in ESKD Patients on Dialysis in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy in women with ESKD undergoing dialysis is uncommon due to impaired fertility. Data on pregnancy in women on dialysis in the United States is scarce. METHODS: We evaluated a retrospective cohort of 47,555 women aged 15-44 years on dialysis between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2013 using data from the United States Renal Data System with Medicare as primary payer. We calculated pregnancy rates and identified factors associated with pregnancy. RESULTS: In 47,555 women on dialysis, 2352 pregnancies were identified. Pregnancy rate was 17.8 per thousand person years (PTPY) with the highest rate in women aged 20-24 (40.9 PTPY). In the adjusted time-to-event analysis, a higher likelihood of pregnancy was seen in Native American (HR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.33 to 2.36), Hispanic (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.32 to 1.73), and black (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.49) women than in white women. A higher rate of pregnancy was seen in women with ESKD due to malignancy (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.27 to 2.12), GN (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.21 to 1.58), hypertension (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.51), and secondary GN/vasculitis (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.37) than ESKD due to diabetes. A lower likelihood of pregnancy was seen among women on peritoneal dialysis than on hemodialysis (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.55). CONCLUSIONS: The pregnancy rate is higher in women on dialysis than previous reports indicate. A higher likelihood of pregnancy was associated with race/ethnicity, ESKD cause, and dialysis modality.

A Feasibility Study to Attribute Patients to Primary Interns on Inpatient Ward Teams Using Electronic Health Record Data.

PURPOSE: To inform graduate medical education (GME) outcomes at the individual resident level, this study sought a method for attributing care for individual patients to individual interns based on "footprints" in the electronic health record (EHR). METHOD: Primary interns caring for patients on an internal medicine inpatient service were recorded daily by five attending physicians of record at University of Cincinnati Medical Center in August 2017 and January 2018. These records were considered gold standard identification of primary interns. The following EHR variables were explored to determine representation of primary intern involvement in care: postgraduate year, progress note author, discharge summary author, physician order placement, and logging clicks in the patient record. These variables were turned into quantitative attributes (e.g., progress note author: yes/no), and informative attributes were selected and modeled using a decision tree algorithm. RESULTS: A total of 1,511 access records were generated; 116 were marked as having a primary intern assigned. All variables except discharge summary author displayed at least some level of importance in the models. The best model achieved 78.95% sensitivity, 97.61% specificity, and an area under the receiver-operator curve of approximately 91%. CONCLUSIONS: This study successfully predicted primary interns caring for patients on inpatient teams using EHR data with excellent model performance. This provides a foundation for attributing patients to primary interns for the purposes of determining patient diagnoses and complexity the interns see as well as supporting continuous quality improvement efforts in GME.

Racial disparities and factors associated with pregnancy in kidney transplant recipients in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Although kidney transplant improves reproductive function in women with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), pregnancy in kidney transplant recipients' remains challenging due to the risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. METHODS: We evaluated a retrospective cohort of 7,966 women who were aged 15-45 years and received a kidney transplant between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2011 from the United States Renal Data System with Medicare as the primary payer for the entire three years after the date of transplantation. Unadjusted and adjusted rates of pregnancy in the first three post-transplant years were calculated, using Poisson regression for the adjustment. Factors associated with pregnancy, including race, were examined using logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 293 pregnancies were identified in 7966 women. The unadjusted pregnancy rate was 13.8 per thousand person-years (PTPY) (95% confidence interval (CI), 12.3-15.5). Pregnancy rates were roughly constant in the years 2005-2011 except in 2005 and 2010. The rate of pregnancy was highest in Hispanic women (21.4 PTPY; 95% CI, 17.2-26.4) and Hispanic women had a higher likelihood of pregnancy as compared to white women (OR, 1.56; CI, 1.12-2.16). Pregnancy rates were lowest in women aged 30-34 years and 35-45 years at transplant, and women aged 30-34 years and 35-45 years at transplant were less likely to ever become pregnant during the follow-up (odds ratio [OR], 0.69; CI, 0.49-0.98 and OR, 0.14; CI 0.09-0.21 respectively) as compared to women aged 25-29 years at time of transplant. Women had higher rates of pregnancy in the second and third-year post-transplant (16.0 PTPY, CI 13.2-19.2 and 16.9 PTPY, CI 14.0-20.4) than in the first-year post-transplant (9.0 PTPY, CI 7.0-11.4). In transplant recipients, pregnancy was more likely in women with ESKD due to cystic disease (OR, 2.42; CI, 1.02-5.74) or glomerulonephritis (OR, 2.14; CI, 1.07-4.31) as compared to women with ESKD due to diabetes. CONCLUSION: Hispanic race, younger age, and ESKD cause due to cystic disease or glomerulonephritis are significant factors associated with a higher likelihood of pregnancy. Pregnancy rates have been fairly constant over the last decade. This study improves our understanding of factors associated with pregnancy in kidney transplant recipients.

Nationwide salpingectomy rates for an indication of permanent contraception before and after published practice guidelines.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the nationwide rate of salpingectomy for permanent contraception before and after the January 2015 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee Opinion, Salpingectomy for Ovarian Cancer Prevention. STUDY DESIGN: Using ICD-9/10 diagnosis and procedure codes within the Vizient database, we identify permanent contraception procedures with and without salpingectomy, among females 18-50 years old between January 2013 and January 2017. Subject, hospital characteristics and costs information were recorded. To determine the changes in salpingectomy rates over time analysis was conducted using the Cochran-Armitage trend test and logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 211,312 women across 303 Vizient-member hospitals underwent a permanent contraception procedure over the study period. Of these, 174,930 subjects were selected from 160 hospitals that contributed data over the full 49-month period. Overall, 25,882 (14.8%) subjects underwent a salpingectomy for an indication of permanent contraception. Higher salpingectomy rates were identified among larger (p<.0001), teaching (p<.0001) hospitals versus smaller, non-teaching hospitals and in subjects with commercial/private payers (p<.0001). A lower salpingectomy rate was observed in Northeast hospitals (p<.0001). Median total hospital costs differed by $25 between permanent contraceptions performed with and without salpingectomy. The proportion of salpingectomies was <1% in January 2013 slowly rising to 20.6% in October 2015 and then 61.5% by January 2017 (p<.0001). During the pre-opinion period (Jan 2013-Dec 2014) the monthly increase in the odds of salpingectomy was 6% (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.05, 1.06) compared to a monthly increase of 18% (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.18, 1.18) during the post-opinion period (Jan 2015-Jan 2017). CONCLUSIONS: The nationwide rate of salpingectomies for permanent contraception has steadily increased among Vizient-member hospitals since the ACOG committee opinion. IMPLICATIONS: Salpingectomy as an approach to permanent contraception in the United States is increasing since the ACOG Committee Opinion with differing utilization rates by hospital type, region, size, and patient payer types. Physician behavior may be influenced by practice guidelines but other factors mitigate the effect.

Temporal Trends in Incident Mortality in Dialysis Patients: Focus on Sex and Racial Disparities.

BACKGROUND: Racial minorities and women constitute substantial portions of the incident and prevalent end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population in the United States. Although ESRD is characterized by high mortality, temporal trends, and race and sex differences in mortality have not been studied. METHODS: We evaluated 944,650 adult patients who initiated dialysis between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2014, using the United States Renal Data System, for sex-related and race-related trends in mortality. Logistic regression models adjusted for pre-dialysis health status were used to examine associations among the predictors' sex, race, and year of incident dialysis, and the outcome all-cause mortality at 1-year post ESRD. RESULTS: The mean age was 65 ± 14 years. The 1-year crude mortality rates in incident ESRD patients decreased by 28% from 2004 to 2015. Risk-adjusted 1-year mortality decreased by 3% for each later year of incident ESRD (p < 0.001). In general, from 2005 to 2014, mortality rates decreased across both sexes, and all races. White patients experienced the lowest reduction in adjusted 1-year mortality rates (16%). While women experienced a survival advantage over men in 2005, by 2014 it was reversed to survival advantage for men. Combining all years, the adjusted risk of dying at 1-year after initiating dialysis was lower in women than men (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.97-0.99), and as compared to whites, was lower in blacks (OR 0.73; 95% CI -0.72-0.74), Hispanics (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.63-0.65), Asians (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.53-0.56), and Native Americans (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.63-0.71). CONCLUSION: The 1-year mortality rates among patients with ESRD have decreased steadily during a recent 10-year period across both men and women, and in all 5 races. Women have only a 2% lower risk of dying at 1-year after dialysis initiation than men. White patients had higher mortality as compared to other races. Our results suggest the need for sex, and race-specific treatment strategies in ESRD care.

Pre-dialysis acute care hospitalizations and clinical outcomes in dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), a precursor of end stage renal disease (ESRD), face an increasing burden of hospitalizations. Although mortality on dialysis is highest during the first year, the impact of pre-dialysis acute hospitalizations on clinical outcomes in dialysis patients remains unknown. METHODS: We evaluated 170,897 adult patients who initiated dialysis between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2014 with linked Medicare claims from the United States Renal Data System. Using logistic regression models, we examined the association of 2-year pre-dialysis hospitalization on the primary outcome of 1-year all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included 90-day mortality, type of initial dialysis modality and type of vascular access at hemodialysis initiation. RESULTS: Mean age was 72.7 ± 11.0 years. In the study sample, 76.0% of patients had at least one pre-dialysis hospitalization. Compared to patients with no pre-dialysis hospitalization, the adjusted 1-year mortality was higher with pre-dialysis cardiovascular related hospitalization (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.57-1.68), infection related hospitalization (OR, 1.51; CI, 1.45-1.57), both cardiovascular and infection hospitalization (OR, 1.91; CI, 1.83-1.99), and neither-cardiovascular nor-infection hospitalization (OR, 1.23; CI, 1.19-1.27). Additionally, the adjusted odds of hemodialysis vs. peritoneal dialysis as the initial dialysis modality were higher, whereas adjusted odds to initiate hemodialysis with an arteriovenous access vs. central venous catheter were lower in patients with any type of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Pre-dialysis hospitalization is an independent predictor of 1-year mortality in dialysis patients. Reducing the risk of pre-dialysis hospitalization may provide opportunities to improve quality of care in ESRD.

Gender and Racial Disparities in Initial Hemodialysis Access and Outcomes in Incident End-Stage Renal Disease Patients.

BACKGROUND: Arteriovenous (AV) access confers survival benefits over central venous catheters (CVC) in hemodialysis patients. Although chronic kidney disease disproportionately affects women and racial minorities, disparities in the -utilization of hemodialysis access across Asians, Native Americans, Hispanics, blacks, and whites among males and females after accounting for pre-dialysis health are not well studied. METHODS: We evaluated 885,699 patients with end-stage renal disease who initiated hemodialysis between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2014 using the US Renal Data System. Multivariable logistic regression models -adjusted for pre-dialysis health were used to test the associations between gender and race on type of vascular access (AV access vs. CVC, and AV fistula vs. AV graft) at hemodialysis initiation as primary outcome, and on 1-year mortality as a secondary outcome. RESULTS: Mean age was 65 ± 14 years. Females were less likely to use AV access for hemodialysis initiation than were males (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.84-0.86). Compared to whites, adjusted odds of AV access for hemodialysis initiation were higher in blacks (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.07-1.70), Asians (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.07-1.14); and lower in Hispanics (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.87-0.90). There was no -significant difference in mortality between males and females. Compared to whites, 1-year adjusted mortality was lower in Asians (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.53-0.56), blacks (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.66-0.68), Hispanics (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.61-0.63), and Native Americans (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.58-0.66). CONCLUSION: Females had lower odds of using AV access than do males for hemodialysis initiation. As compared to whites, blacks and Asians were more likely, and Hispanics were less likely to use AV access for first outpatient hemodialysis. Further investigation of biological and process of care factors may help in developing ways to reduce these disparities.

A Comparison of Existing Methods to Detect Weight Data Errors in a Pediatric Academic Medical Center.

Dosing errors due to erroneous body weight entry can be mitigated through algorithms designed to detect anomalies in weight patterns. To prepare for the development of a new algorithm for weight-entry error detection, we compared methods for detecting weight anomalies to human annotation, including a regression-based method employed in a real-time web service. Using a random sample of 4,000 growth charts, annotators identified clinically important anomalies with good inter-rater reliability. Performance of the three detection algorithms was variable, with the best performance from the algorithm that takes into account weights collected after the anomaly was recorded. All methods were highly specific, but positive predictive value ranged from < 5% to over 82%. There were 203 records of missed errors, but all of these were either due to no prior data points or errors too small to be clinically significant. This analysis illustrates the need for better weight-entry error detection algorithms.