Impact of Previous Tunneled Vascular Catheters and their Location on Upper Limb Arteriovenous Fistula Function.

Background: Long-term arteriovenous fistula (AVF) survival has been shown to be adversely affected by the presence of previous tunneled vascular catheters (TVC). We analyzed the effect of previous TVCs and their location (ipsilateral versus contralateral) on the successful function of upper-limb AVFs in the first 12 months after creation. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data on patients' first upper-limb AVFs, created between January 2013 and December 2017. We analyzed the rates of successful AVF function (successful cannulation using two needles for ≥50% sessions over a 2-week period) at 6 and 12 months after creation, time to AVF maturation, and rates of assisted maturation. Results: In total, 287 patients with first AVFs were identified, of which 142 patients had a previous TVC (102 contralateral, 40 ipsilateral) and 145 had no previous TVC. The no TVC group had higher rates of AVF function at both 6 months (69% versus 54%, OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.00 to 3.39, P=0.05) and 12 months (84% versus 64%, OR, 3.10; 95% CI, 1.53 to 6.26, P=0.002) compared with the TVC group. The contralateral TVC group had higher rates of AVF function at 6 months (60% versus 40%, OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.01 to 4.88, P=0.05), but not at 12 months (66% versus 58%, OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.62 to 3.25, P=0.40) compared with the ipsilateral TVC group. The median time to AVF maturation in the contralateral and ipsilateral TVC groups were 121.5 and 146 days respectively (P=0.07). Assisted maturation rates were lower in no TVC group compared with the TVC group (12% versus 28%, P=0.007), but similar between the contralateral and ipsilateral TVC groups (29% versus 26%, P=0.74). Conclusions: Previous TVC use was associated with poorer AVF function at 6 and 12 months, with a higher rate of assisted maturation. The presence of an ipsilateral TVC was associated with lower successful AVF use at 6 months, compared with contralateral TVC.

Zosteriform cutaneous metastases: an unusual presentation of metastatic lung carcinoma.

Zosteriform cutaneous metastases are an unusual and rare morphological variant. We discuss the case of a 78-year-old gentleman with a background of end-stage renal disease with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung which was diagnosed due to the development of zosteriform cutaneous metastases around his vascular catheter (vascath) site. The vascath may have acted as a traumatic nidus for lymphatic spread.

The Utility of Sonographic Assessment in Selecting Patients for Percutaneous Insertion of Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous insertion of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters by nephrologists is a safe and effective alternative to open surgical techniques. These patients are usually carefully selected due to anatomical considerations and medical comorbidities, with the current literature suggesting exclusion of patients with prior abdominal surgery. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pre-dialysis patients who attended a preprocedural clinic in a tertiary center over 6 years. Procedural complications and catheter survival were assessed. Chi-squared test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were undertaken. Inpatient assessments were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 217 patients were assessed, of whom 171 (78.8%) were accepted for percutaneous PD catheter insertion by a nephrologist. The key exclusion criteria were: (1) the clinical presence of abdominal hernia (p < 0.001), (2) ultrasound findings of skin to peritoneum depth of > 5.5 cm (p < 0.001) and (3) ultrasound findings of impaired visceral slide test (p < 0.001). Prior abdominal surgery was not a default exclusion criterion (p = 0.1), as 63 patients (37%) with prior abdominal surgery, average of 1.3 prior surgeries per patient, were assessed as appropriate for the percutaneous procedure. There was no difference in the procedural complication rate and catheter survival between patients with and without prior abdominal surgery. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive preprocedural assessment utilizing ultrasound permits an objective selection of patients for percutaneous insertion of PD catheters by nephrologists. This allowed for successful and safe percutaneous insertion of PD catheters in patients who may have otherwise been excluded, e.g., prior abdominal surgery, patients with large bilateral polycystic kidneys, and central obesity.

The impact of tunnelled vascular catheters on time to arteriovenous fistula creation.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the presence of tunnelled vascular catheter (TVC) on physician referral and surgeon review and operating patterns and ultimately time of creation of permanent haemodialysis (HD) access. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of TVC and arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) databases in 2010. Physician referral time and surgical time to operation were compared between patients commencing HD with TVC and a control group who commenced HD with AVF. RESULTS: The AVF group (n = 27) commenced HD with an AVF and TVC group (n = 49) commenced HD via a TVC. Time from physician referral to surgeon review in the AVF vs. TVC group was 29 vs. 35 days (p = 0.6). Time from surgeon review to access creation was 43 vs. 50 days (p = 0.4). However, in the TVC group, the time from TVC insertion to physician referral to a surgeon was an additional 109 ± 20 days. Subgroup analysis of 11 TVC patients (23%) presenting at end stage without AVF (crash starters) had a TVC to physician referral time of 103 ± 75 days, physician referral to surgeon review of 14.4 ± 4 days and surgeon review to AVF of 67 ± 23 days. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a TVC is associated with a significant delay (>3 months) before physicians make a referral for surgeon review. There was no surgeon-related delay to access creation related to the presence of a TVC.

High-sensitivity troponin as a predictor of cardiac events and mortality in the stable dialysis population.

BACKGROUND: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) is a biomarker used in diagnosing myocardial injury. The clinical utility and the variation of this biomarker over time remain unclear in hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We sought to determine whether hs-cTnT concentrations were predictive of myocardial infarction (MI) and death and to examine hs-cTnT variability over a 1-year period. METHODS: A total of 393 nonacute HD and PD patients (70% HD and 30% PD) were followed in a prospective observational study for new MI and death. RESULTS: Median hs-cTnT was 57 ng/L (interquartile range, 36-101 ng/L) with no observed difference between HD and PD patients (P = 0.11). Incremental increases in mortality (P = 0.024) and MI (P = 0.001) were observed with increasing hs-cTnT quartiles. MI incidence increased significantly across quartiles in both HD and PD patients (P = 0.012 and P = 0.025, respectively), whereas mortality increased only in HD patients (P = 0.015). For every increase of 25 ng/L in hs-cTnT, the unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 1.10 for mortality in the whole group (95% CI, 1.04-1.16, P = 0.001) and 1.16 for MI (95% CI, 1.08-1.23, P < 0.001). Adjusted HR for mortality was 1.07 (95% CI, 1.01-1.15, P = 0.04) and 1.14 for MI (95% CI, 1.06-1.22, P < 0.001). Changes in hs-cTnT from baseline concentrations after 1 year were minimal (55 ng/L vs 53 ng/L, P = 0.22) even in patients who had an MI (P = 0.53). CONCLUSIONS: hs-cTnT appears to have a useful role in predicting MI and death in the dialysis population. Over a 1-year period concentrations remained stable even in patients who sustained a new cardiac event.

Is bigger better? A retrospective analysis of native renal biopsies with 16 Gauge versus 18 Gauge automatic needles.

AIM: Percutaneous renal biopsy (PRB) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of renal disease; however, the tissue yield which relates to the optimal needle size used for native-kidney biopsies has not been clearly established. Our study compares the sample adequacy and complication rates using 16 gauge (G) and 18 gauge (G) automatic needles on native kidney PRB. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of native-kidney biopsies at two centres, one exclusively using 16G and the other exclusively using 18G needles. All samples were assessed by a single centralized pathology service. We compared patient characteristics, indications, diagnoses, adequacy of tissue samples, and complications. RESULTS: A total of 934 native-kidney biopsies were performed with real time ultrasound guidance: 753 with Bard Max Core 16G × 16 cm needles, and 181 with Bard Magnum 18G × 20 cm needles. The median (range) of total glomeruli count per biopsy was higher in the 16G group compared with the 18G group (19 (0-66) vs. 12 (0-35), P < 0.001), despite having fewer cores per biopsy (2 (0-4) vs. 3 (1-4), P < 0.001). The 16G group provided a greater proportion of adequate biopsy samples (94.7% vs. 89.4%, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the frequency of total complications between the 16G and 18G groups (3.7% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.49). CONCLUSION: This retrospective study demonstrates 16G needles provide more glomeruli, more diagnostically adequate renal tissue, with fewer cores without a significant increase in complications compared with 18G needles. Based on these observations, 16G needles should be considered as the first line option in native-kidney PRB.

An unusual renal manifestation of chronic HBV infection.

Hepatitis B viral infection is usually a self-limiting disease in immunocompetent individuals. Chronic infection can be seen in up to 5% of infected patients. Renal manifestations of chronic HBV infection are usually glomerular. We describe here an uncommon presentation of a patient with chronic HBV infection with very high viral load and rapidly progressive renal failure. Renal biopsy showed features of tubulointerstitial nephritis and tubular epithelial inclusion bodies suggestive of HBV infection. Entecavir treatment slowed down the progression of his renal disease. Tubulointerstitial nephritis should be considered as a part of the differential diagnosis in patients with HBV infection. Early antiviral treatment may halt the progression of renal disease.

Pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) in a hemodialysis patient.

Patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) are predisposed to malignancy. A patient who presented with a persisting fever, episodically above 38 degrees C, of unknown origin is described. The diagnosis of the illness remained elusive, over repeated hospital admissions and comprehensive investigations for over 11 weeks, until her last admission when the patient finally represented with features of acute liver cell failure and succumbed shortly afterwards. A liver biopsy revealed high grade lymphoma, an uncommon presentation for lymphoma. While malignancy is increased in dialysis patients, lymphoma is a relatively uncommon malignancy described. This case is a rare incidence of diffuse Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) isolated to the liver, causing fever, liver cell failure and death in a hemodialysis patient.