The Nephrotoxicity of Drugs Used in Causal Oncological Therapies.

In recent years, a dynamic development of oncology has been observed, resulting from the increasingly frequent occurrence of neoplasms and therefore, increasing population of patients. The most effective form of therapy for cancer patients is complex multidisciplinary specialized disease management, including nephro-oncology care. Different forms of renal function impairment are frequently diagnosed in cancer patients. They are caused by different co-morbidities existing before starting the oncologic treatment as well as the direct undesirable effects of this therapy which may cause temporary or irreversible damage of the urinary system-especially kidneys. According to different therapeutic programs, in such cases the degree of renal damage is often crucial for the possibility of further anti-cancer treatment. Medical personnel responsible for delivering care to oncology patients should be properly educated on current methods of prevention and treatment of renal complications resulting from anti-cancer therapy. The development of oncologic medicines design, including especially immuno-oncological agents, obliges us to learn new patomechanisms determining potential adverse effects, including renal complications. This publication is focused on the most important undesirable nephrotoxic effects of the frequently used anti-cancer drugs.

Early complications of translumbar cannulation of the inferior vena cava as a quick, last-chance method of gaining access for hemodialysis. Ten years of experience in one clinical center.

INTRODUCTION: The gold standard of vascular access for chronic hemodialysis patients is the arteriovenous fistula (AVF). If an AVF cannot be created, the hemodialysis catheter can be inserted into the internal jugular, femoral or subclavian vein. After exhausting the abovementioned standard accesses, translumbar access to the inferior vena cava (IVC) is considered a quick, last-chance and rescue method. AIM: Retrospective analysis of early complications (EC) of translumbar IVC catheterization using one type of catheter by one medical team. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From January 2010 to October 2019, a total of 34 translumbar IVC catheters were implanted in 27 patients. RESULTS: A major EC was found in 1 (2.9%) procedure. Minor EC occurred in 23.5 attempts. None of these complications required an intervention. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with exhausted possibilities of obtaining standard vascular access for HD, translumbar IVC cannulation proved to be a safe and effective method.

Continuous renal replacement therapy as a treatment of selected acute intoxications.

The methods of extracorporeal elimination remain a particularly useful therapy of selected, most severe intoxications caused by drugs and other chemical substances. The hemodialysis (HD) is the most commonly used therapy, which results from the widest availability of this method. However, due to the gradual spread of modern continuous dialysis techniques, continuous veno-venous hemodialysis (CVVHD) in particular creates a new opportunity of treatment of severe intoxications - especially in patients with cardiovascular complications. The review of literature dealing with the experience in using continuous methods of treatment of selected severe intoxications is presented in the article. Taking into account a lack of analyses assessing the efficacy of different toxicological methods used in large populations of patients, the experiences are mainly based on individual case reports. The presented data indicate that CVVHD may be treated as the preferred method of treatment of severe intoxications in hemodynamically unstable patients. Moreover, CVVHD may be useful as a continuation of therapy following the initial HD treatment.

Application of the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System in Type 1 Hepatorenal Syndrome in the Course of Alcohol-Related Acute on Chronic Liver Failure.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS) effectiveness in patients with alcohol-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (AoCLF) complicated with type 1 hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). So far, MARS efficacy and safety has been demonstrated in various acute liver failure scenarios. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data from 41 MARS procedures (10 patients with type 1 HRS, in the course of alcohol-related AoCLF were considered for this study. Biochemical tests of blood serum were performed before and after each procedure. The condition of patients was determined before and after the treatment with the use of the model for end-stage liver disease - sodium (MELD-Na) and the stage of encephalopathy severity based on the West Haven criteria. RESULTS During the observation period (20.5±13.9 days), 5 patients died, and the remaining 5 surviving patients were discharged from the hospital. In the group of 10, the 14-day survival, starting from the first MARS treatment, was 90%. The MARS procedure was associated with a 19% reduction in bilirubin (27.5±6.1 versus 22.3±4.0 mg/dL, P<0.001), 37% reduction in ammonia (44.1±22.5 versus 27.6±20.9 P<0.001), 27% reduction in creatinine (1.5±1.0 versus 1.1±0.6 mg/dL, P<0.001) and 14% reduction urea (83.8±36.1 versus 72.1±33.3, P<0.001) in blood serum samples, with stable hemodynamic parameters. In the group of patients discharged from the clinic (n=5), the MARS treatments resulted in an improvement in hepatic encephalopathy (West Haven; P=0.043), as well as a reduction in the MELD-Na score (P=0.015). CONCLUSIONS MARS is a hemodynamically safe method for supporting the function of the liver and the kidneys. Application of the MARS reduces the symptoms of encephalopathy in patients with alcohol-related type 1 HRS.

Infective endocarditis in chronic hemodialysis patients is it still a growing clinical challenge?

Patients requiring chronic dialysis are at increased risk for a severe complication such as Infective Endocarditis (IE). Infections, immediately after cardiovascular diseases, are the second leading cause of deaths in this group of patients. In the Polish population, the incidence of IE in hemodialysis patients is unknown. AIM: The aim of the study was to present epidemiology, clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and microbiological profile of infective endocarditis with the evaluation of the suitability of the modified Duke criteria for the diagnosis of IE in hemodialysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The aim of the study was to present epidemiology, clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and microbiological profile of infective endocarditis with the evaluation of the suitability of the modified Duke criteria for the diagnosis of IE in hemodialysis patients. RESULTS: Ten cases of IE in HD patients were diagnosed. The incidence of IE was 1.55/10,000 dialysis sessions/year. The incidence rate for IE in the dialysis population was 2,000/100,000 patients/year, while the incidence rate for IE in all hospitalized individuals was 5/100,000 patients/year. Hemodialyzed patients had significantly higher odds of having IE compared to other hospitalized individuals (odds ratio [OR] = 69; 95%; CI: 35.92-132.06,p<0.0001). Mitral valve involvement was the most frequent. The most common IE etiology was Staphylococcus species. Based on the modified Duke criteria, the "definite IE" was recognized in one case whereas remaining 9 cases were classified as the "possible IE". CONCLUSIONS: In hemodialyzed patients the risk of IE is approximately 69 times higher than in the general hospitalized population. Right heart valve involvement occurs seldom despite the presence of vascular catheters. The modified Duke criteria have a limited applicability in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis.

[Sepsis - still valid economic and epidemiological problem]. / Sepsa ­ wciaz aktualny problem epidemiologiczny i ekonomiczny.

The recognition of sepsis is connected with potentially bad prognosis, high mortality rate and high costs of the therapy. A new definition of sepsis was introduced in 2016. The main role of dysfunction of organs in the course of infection, the potential threat for life and necessity to perform quick diagnosis result from this definition. The review of worldwide literature on sepsis epidemiology and therapy costs was done in the current article. It was observed that the data concerning incidence of sepsis in Polish hospitals are incomplete, related to single observations, and in most cases they come from retrospective analyses. Therefore, the nation-wide registry comprising the data of the sepsis cases should be established.

[The role of high cut off membranes in renal replacement therapy of acute kidney injury in the course of sepsis - the current state of knowledge]. / Rola blon o wysokim punkcie odciecia w leczeniu nerkozastepczym ostrego uszkodzenia nerek w przebiegu sepsy ­ aktualny stan wiedzy.

Sepsis as a systemic inflammatory reaction to infection is an important interdisciplinary clinical problem. Over the past 20 years, the number of patients who have contracted sepsis has doubled. The occurrence of acute kidney injury in the course of sepsis increases mortality twice, while chronic kidney disease develops in 50% of the patients who survived sepsis. The pathophysiology of acute kidney injury (AKI) development in the course of sepsis is not fully understood. Some researchers, to emphasize the distinctiveness of AKI in the course of sepsis, describe the changes that occur in the kidneys in its course as sepsis induced-AKI. In the last decade, the theory regarding the possibility of modulation of inflammatory pathways through extracorporeal blood purification methods (HCO - using high cut off membranes) from pro-inflammatory cytokines and attempts to restore homeostasis in this way has gained great recognition. The basis for the implementation of this type of treatment was the "maximum concentration" hypothesis, which assumes that, avoiding the onset of the early peak of circulating proinflammatory molecules is possible to prevent and modulate the clinical effects of an excessively expressed inflammatory reaction in the course of sepsis. This study is an attempt to analyze and summarize the current state of knowledge on the effectiveness of using HCO membranes in patients with sepsis who have developed AKI. For this purpose, the resources of MEDLAIN/Pubmed bases from 1965 to April 2018 have been analyzed, taking into account only the full versions of articles in English, using a combination of the following words: super high-flux, high cut-off, dialysis, renal replacement therapy, filtration, diafiltration, hemodialysis, hemofiltration, hemodiafiltration, sepsis, cytokine, inflammatory mediators, inflammation.

Serum uric acid concentration is associated with early changes of glomerular filtration rate in patients with diabetes type 1 without increased albumin excretion.

UNLABELLED: The early loss of renal function in patients with type 1 diabetes may begin before proteinuria. Only 30% of patients with diabetes manifest overt proteinuria. According to the previous studies, increased urinary albumin excretion, which is considered a classic marker of progression of diabetic kidney disease, can regress to normal urine albumin excretion. The current studies conducted in patients with type 1 diabetes without increased urine albumin excretion showed that the uric acid concentration was an independent factor for the development of diabetic kidney disease. The aim of study was to assess the impact of uric acid concentration and to identify risk factors of the early glomerular filtration loss in patients with type 1 diabetes and normal urinary albumin excretion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 147 patients (61 women and 86 men) with type 1 diabetes without increased urine albumin excretion were analysed. GFR (gromerular filtration rate) was estimated based on the serum cystatin C concentration. Centile charts were used to determine the variation of uric acid concentration depending on GFR and gender. RESULTS: The mean value of the filtration rate for the study group was 117 ml/min/m2. The uric acid level above 90th percentile in relation to GFR was diagnosed in 8.2% of women and 0% of men, between 90th and 50th percentile in 44.3 % of women and 5.8% of men and below 50th percentile in 47.5% of women and 94.2% of men. Contrary to men in women higher serum acid concentration was strongly associated with higher glomerular filtration rate. Hyperfiltraion was diagnosed in 15 of women and 19 of men. CONCLUSIONS: The high normal uric acid concentration in women with type 1 diabetes might play a crucial role in development of hyperfiltration.

[Case of young woman with Graves' disease and incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis with severe progress and cardiac arrest]. / Przypadek niekompletnej nerkowej kwasicy cewkowej typu dystalnego o ciezkim przebiegu powiklanym naglym zatrzymaniem krazenia u mlodej kobiety z choroba Graves-Basedowa.

Diagnostic of renal tubular disorders can be often difficult. Incomplete form of distal Renal Tubular Acidosis (dRta) in course of Graves' disease was de novo recognized in a young woman hospitalized with a deep deficiency of potassium in blood serum complicated with cardiac arrest. Series of tests assessing the types and severity of water-electrolyte, acid-base and thyroid disorders were performed during a complex diagnosis. During the treatment of acute phase of the disease we intensified efforts to maintain basic life functions and to eliminate deep water-electrolyte disturbances. In the second phase of the treatment we determined an underlying cause of the disease, recognized dRTA, and introduced a specific long-term electrolyte and hormonal therapy. To confirm the diagnosis oral test with ammonium chloride (Wrong-Davies' test) was performed. After completion of the diagnostic and therapeutic process, the patient was included in the nephrological supervision on an outpatient basis. The basic drug for the therapy was sodium citrate. After a year of observation and continuing treatment we evaluated therapeutic results as good and permanent.