Novel Therapies in Diabetic Kidney Disease and Risk of Hyperkalemia: A Review of the Evidence From Clinical Trials.

Concerns about hyperkalemia may result in the underuse of established and novel therapies that improve kidney and/or cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Hyperkalemia-related issues are of particular relevance in patients with CKD, who are commonly receiving other hyperkalemia-inducing agents such as renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors and nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. In contrast, sodium/glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors mitigate the risk of serious hyperkalemia in clinical trials. We aim to review recent evidence surrounding the risk of hyperkalemia in patients with T2DM and CKD treated with established and novel therapies for diabetic kidney disease, focusing on SGLT2 inhibitors and nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. We conclude that SGLT2 inhibitors can be used safely in patients with T2DM at high CV risk with CKD without increasing the risk of hyperkalemia. Routine potassium monitoring is generally required when finerenone is used as a kidney- and CV-protective agent in patients with T2DM. Based on existing data, when added to the standard of care, combining SGLT2 inhibitors with finerenone is safe and has the potential to exert additional cardiorenal benefits in patients with diabetic kidney disease. The use of potassium binders should be considered to enable optimal doses of guideline-based therapies for patients with diabetic kidney disease to maximize the kidney and CV benefits.

Care of the hospitalised patient receiving peritoneal dialysis: Your questions answered.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients have higher hospitalisation rates than the general population. The hospitalisations are not always related to dialysis issues, and physicians with little or no experience with PD may be responsible for the care of these hospitalised patients. Furthermore, the hospital may not be familiar with or equipped to manage these patients. This review highlights barriers, knowledge gaps and management strategies to guide the care of hospitalised PD patients.

Renal hemodynamic dysfunction and neuropathy in longstanding type 1 diabetes: Results from the Canadian study of longevity in type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: To determine the relationship between renal hemodynamic function and neuropathy in adults with ≥50-years of type 1 diabetes (T1D) compared to nondiabetic controls. METHODS: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR, inulin), effective renal plasma flow (ERPF, p-aminohippurate), modified Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Score (mTCNS), corneal confocal microscopy, nerve conduction, and heart rate variability (autonomic function) were measured; afferent (RA) and efferent (RE) arteriolar resistances were estimated using the Gomez equations in 74 participants with T1D and in 75 controls. Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) non-resistors were defined by eGFRMDRD < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or 24-h urine albumin excretion >30 mg/day. Linear regression was applied to examine the relationships between renal function (dependent variable) and neuropathy measures (independent variable), adjusted for age, sex, HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and 24-h urine albumin to creatinine ratio. RESULTS: Higher mTCNS associated with lower renal blood flow (ß ± SE:-9.29 ± 4.20, p = 0.03) and greater RE (ß ± SE:32.97 ± 15.43, p = 0.04) in participants with T1D, but not in controls. DKD non-resistors had a higher mTCNS and worse measures of corneal nerve morphology compared to those without DKD. Renal hemodynamic parameters did not associate with autonomic nerve function. CONCLUSIONS: Although neurological dysfunction in the presence of diabetes may contribute to impaired renal blood flow resulting in ischemic injury in patients with T1D, early autonomic dysfunction does not appear to be associated with kidney function changes.

An ISN-DOPPS Survey of the Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Peritoneal Dialysis Services.

Introduction: Home dialysis may minimize SARS-CoV2 exposure risks compared to center-based dialysis. We explored how the pandemic may have introduced challenges related to peritoneal dialysis (PD) supply availability, routine patient care, and how facility practices changed during this time. Methods: The PD/Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS/DOPPS) and International Society of Nephrology (ISN) administered a web-based survey from November 2020 to March 2021. Medical director responses were compared across 10 ISN regions. Results: One hundered sixy-five PD facilities in 51 countries returned surveys. During the initial COVID-19 wave, the reported frequency of in-person patient visits decreased in 9 of 10 ISN regions. Before the pandemic, most facilities required a mask during PD exchanges which continued over the course of the pandemic. Although most facilities in different regions did not report PD supply disruptions, sites in Africa and South Asia reported major disruptions. Reductions in laparoscopic surgical procedures for PD catheters were reported by facilities in 9 of 10 regions whereas nonsurgical percutaneous procedures increased in facilities in 6 regions. Training of new PD patients declined in facilities in each region. Increased use of remote technology by patients to communicate with clinics was observed in all regions compared to prepandemic levels. Conclusion: Marked within-region and across-region variability was noted in PD facility burden, clinical practice, and adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights opportunities to improve routine PD care, adapt to the ongoing pandemic, and increase preparedness for potential future interruptions in PD care.

The Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on In-Center Hemodialysis Services: An ISN-Dialysis Outcomes Practice Patterns Study Survey.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on hemodialysis (HD) centers, The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study and ISN collaborated on a web-survey of centers. METHODS: A combined approach of random sampling and open invitation was used between March 2020 and March 2021. Responses were obtained from 412 centers in 78 countries and all 10 ISN regions. RESULTS: In 8 regions, rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection were <20% in most centers, but in North East Asia (NE Asia) and Newly Independent States and Russia (NIS & Russia), rates were ≥20% and ≥30%, respectively. Mortality was ≥10% in most centers in 8 regions, although lower in North America and Caribbean (N America & Caribbean) and NE Asia. Diagnostic testing was not available in 33%, 37%, and 61% of centers in Latin America, Africa, and East and Central Europe, respectively. Surgical masks were widely available, but severe shortages of particulate-air filter masks were reported in Latin America (18%) and Africa (30%). Rates of infection in staff ranged from 0% in 90% of centers in NE Asia to ≥50% in 63% of centers in the Middle East and 68% of centers in NIS & Russia. In most centers, <10% of staff died, but in Africa and South Asia (S Asia), 2% and 6% of centers reported ≥50% mortality, respectively. CONCLUSION: There has been wide global variation in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates among HD patients and staff, personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, and testing, and the ways in which services have been redesigned in response to the pandemic.

A Comparison of Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

The high prevalence of cardiovascular disease is caused by the traditional cardiovascular risk factors common among end-stage renal disease patients, and nontraditional risk factors attributed to underlying kidney disease, including chronic inflammation, anemia, bone mineral disease, and the dialysis procedure itself. Individualization of the treatment of cardiovascular disease in end-stage renal disease that could impact the underlying mechanisms of the cardiovascular diseases is important to improve outcomes. This article reviews and compares hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in association with different cardiovascular diseases affecting dialysis patients, including hypertension, coronary artery disease, myocardial stunning, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, and the cardiorenal syndrome.

Hemodialysis Patients Have Impaired Cerebrovascular Reactivity to CO2 Compared to Chronic Kidney Disease Patients and Healthy Controls: A Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: Recurrent hemodialysis (HD)-induced ischemia has emerged as a mechanism responsible for cognitive impairment in HD patients. Impairment of cerebrovascular function in HD patients may render the brain vulnerable to HD-induced ischemic injury. Cerebrovascular reactivity to CO2 (CVR) is a noninvasive marker of cerebrovascular function. Whether CVR is impaired in HD patients is unknown. In this study, we compared CVR between healthy participants, HD patients, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients not yet requiring dialysis. METHODS: This was a single-center prospective observational study carried out at Kidney Clinical Research Unit in London, Canada. We used carefully controlled hypercapnia to interrogate brain vasomotor control. Transcranial Doppler was combined with 10-mm Hg step changes in CO2 from baseline to hypercapnia (intervention) and back to baseline (recovery) to assess CVR in 8 HD, 10 CKD, and 17 heathy participants. RESULTS: HD patients had lower CVR than CKD or healthy participants during both intervention and recovery (P < 0.0001). There were no differences in CVR between healthy and CKD participants during either intervention (P = 0.88) or recovery (P = 0.99). The impaired CVR in HD patients was independent of CO2-induced changes in blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, or dialysis vintage. In the CKD group, CVR was not associated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that HD patients have impaired CVR relative to CKD and healthy participants. This renders HD patients vulnerable to ischemic injury during circulatory stress of dialysis and may contribute to the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment.