Renal Damage Frequency in Patients with Solitary Kidney and Factors That Affect Progression.

Background. The aim of this study is to assess renal damage incidence in patients with solitary kidney and to detect factors associated with progression. Methods. Medical records of 75 patients with solitary kidney were investigated retrospectively and divided into two groups: unilateral nephrectomy (group 1) and unilateral renal agenesis/dysplasia (group 2). According to the presence of kidney damage, each group was divided into two subgroups: group 1a/b and group 2a/b. Results. Patients in group 1 were older than those in group 2 (p = 0.001). 34 patients who comprise group 1a had smaller kidney size (p = 0.002) and higher uric acid levels (p = 0.028) than those in group 1b at presentation. Uric acid levels at first and last visit were associated with renal damage progression (p = 0.004, 0.019). 18 patients who comprise group 2a were compared with those in group 2b in terms of presence of DM (p = 0.038), HT (p = 0.003), baseline proteinuria (p = 0.014), and uric acid (p = 0.032) levels and group 2a showed higher rates for each. Progression was more common in patients with DM (p = 0.039), HT (p = 0.003), higher initial and final visit proteinuria (p = 0.014, for both), and higher baseline uric acid levels (p = 0.047). Conclusions. The majority of patients with solitary kidney showed renal damage at presentation. Increased uric acid level is a risk factor for renal damage and progression. For early diagnosis of renal damage and reducing the risk of progression, patients should be referred to a nephrologist as early as possible.

Should transplant ureter be stented routinely or not?

OBJECTIVE: To compare early complications in patients with/without stents following renal transplantation and to determine whether routine stenting should be used in all renal transplant patients or not. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 194 patients (108 males, 86 females, mean age: 45.2 ± 13.2 years) who were followed-up at the Division of Nephrology of Istanbul Bilim University between 2006 and 2013 were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, etiologies of renal disease, comorbidities, type of renal transplantation, early complications, delayed graft function were retrospectively recorded. All patients were divided into two groups according to stent replacement. Early complications were compared. RESULTS: 101 patients were inserted double-J(DJ) stent (48 females, mean age 46.5 ± 13.7 years, mean body mass index [BMI] 26.1 ± 4.7 kg/m²) and 93 patients were not inserted stent (38 females, mean age 43.7 ± 12.6 years, mean BMI 24.3 ± 4.2 kg/m²). The rate of early complications of urinary tract infections, lymphocele, urinary leaks, wound infection and perirenal hemorrhage of patients with stent were 28.9%,3.0%,4.0%, 5.1% and 1.3%, respectively, while these rates among patients without stent were 35.5%, 2.2%,3.2%,6.5% and 1.2%,respectively. There was no significant difference between with stent and without stent groups with regard to early complications. CONCLUSIONS: Routine DJ stenting in all renal transplant patients is not necessary. Prophylactic use of DJ stent has no effect on early complications. Prophylactic DJ stent replacement can be used in obese patients, in patients receiving cadaveric transplants or in patients receiving transplants from unrelated donors.

Effects of infectious complications on patients' survival in peritoneal dialysis.

AIM: To investigate the impacts of infectious complications on mortality and morbidity; and to identify the other potential factors effective in mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included patients who initiated therapy between 2001-2011. Patients were divided into two groups regarding to presence or absence of infectious complications. Socio-demographic data and clinical courses were compared and the reasons for PD withdrawal were obtained. Survival analysis of all patients was performed and the effects of infectious complications on mortality were investigated. RESULTS: 301 patients were included in this retrospective study. 214 patients (mean follow-up time 28.7±16.5 months) had infection history, 87 patients (mean follow-up time 48.9±29.6 months) had no infection history. There were no statistically significant difference in comparison of the groups in terms age, gender, education levels, hemodialysis history. In patients with infection history, 465 peritonitis and 213 catheter exit site infection attacks were diagnosed. The most frequently agent was methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in both conditions, while 25% of catheter exit site infection and 25% of peritonitis attacks were culture negative. During follow-up period, 60 patients transferred to hemodialysis, 58 patients died, 18 patients had renal transplantation in patients with infection history. In other group, 27 patients died, 23 patients had renal transplantation and 11 patients transferred to hemodialysis. Mean survival times were 56.3±2.8 months in patients with infection history and 86.8±6.1 months in other group. Mortality rate was found higher in patients with infection history (long-rank: 0.030). PD preference (OR: 5.213, p < 0.001), pretreatment low serum albumin (OR: 0.378, p = 0.001), low hemoglobin levels (OR: 0.810, p = 0.029) were found as predictors of survival in patients with infection history. CONCLUSIONS: Infectious complications have negative effects on patient survival. Nature of PD preference, initial hypoalbuminemia and anemia were found to increase the mortality rate. The major causes of deaths were peritonitis and/or sepsis in patients with infectious complications, while the major cause of death was cardiac reasons in patients without infectious complications.