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Although several therapeutic agents have been evaluated for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there are lack of effective and proven treatments for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of regdanvimab on mortality in COVID-19–infected patients on hemodialysis (HD). Methods: We conducted an observational retrospective study in 230 COVID-19–infected patients on HD, of whom 77 (33.5%) were administered regdanvimab alone or in combination with dexamethasone or remdesivir during hospitalization (regdanvimab group) and 153 patients (66.5%) were not (no regdanvimab group). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. We compared mortality rates according to the use of regdanvimab and investigated the factors associated with mortality. Results: Fifty-nine deaths occurred during hospitalization, 49 in the no regdanvimab group (32.0%) and 10 in the regdanvimab group (13.0%), and the mortality rate was significantly higher in the no regdanvimab group than that in the regdanvimab group (p = 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that malignancy (p = 0.001), SPO2 of <95% at admission (p = 0.003), and administration of antibiotics and regdanvimab (p = 0.007 and p = 0.002, respectively) were significantly associated factors with mortality. Conclusion: Regdanvimab administration is beneficial in improving prognosis in hospitalized COVID-19 patients on HD. Considering the vulnerability to infection and high mortality of ESRD patients, regdanvimab may be considered as a therapeutic option in COVID-19 patients on HD.
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It is important for the dialysis specialist to provide essential and safe care to hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, little is known about the actual effect of dialysis specialist care on the survival of HD patients. We therefore investigated the influence of dialysis specialist care on patient mortality in a nationwide Korean dialysis cohort. Methods: We used an HD quality assessment and National Health Insurance Service claims data from October to December 2015. A total of 34,408 patients were divided into two groups according to the proportion of dialysis specialists in their HD unit, as follows: 0%, no dialysis specialist care group, and ≥50%, dialysis specialist care group. We analyzed the mortality risk of these groups using the Cox proportional hazards model after matching propensity scores. Results: After propensity score matching, 18,344 patients were enrolled. The ratio of patients from the groups with and without dialysis specialist care was 86.7% to 13.3%. The dialysis specialist care group showed a shorter dialysis vintage, higher levels of hemoglobin, higher single-pool Kt/V values, lower levels of phosphorus, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures than the no dialysis specialist care group. After adjusting demographic and clinical parameters, the absence of dialysis specialist care was a significant independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.18; p = 0.004). Conclusion: Dialysis specialist care is an important determinant of overall patient survival among HD patients. Appropriate care given by dialysis specialists may improve clinical outcomes of patients undergoing HD.
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Plastic cannulae have attracted increasing interest as an alternative to traditional metal needles with the aim of reducing cannulation-related complications. We investigated whether the substitution volumes during hemodiafiltration differ using these two types of needles in dialysis patients. Methods: An intervention study involving 26 hemodialysis patients was conducted in Korea between March and September in 2021. Patients first received online hemodiafiltration using traditional metal needles, and thereafter plastic cannulae were used in a stepwise protocol. Repeated-measures design and linear mixed-effect models were used to compare substitution volumes between the two needle types with the same inner diameter. Results: The mean patient age was 62.7 years, and their mean dialysis vintage was 95.2 months. Most patients (92.3%) had an arteriovenous fistula as the vascular access. The substitution volume increased as blood flow and needle size increased for both plastic cannulae and metal needles. The substitution volume was significantly higher with 17-gauge (G) plastic cannulae than with 16-G metal needles at blood flow rates of 280, 300, and 330 mL/min. Similar results were obtained for 15-G metal needles and 16-G plastic cannulae at a blood flow rate of 330 mL/min. However, the patient ratings of pain on a visual analogue scale were higher for plastic cannulae. Conclusion: Higher substitution volumes were obtained at the same prescribed blood flow rate with plastic cannulae than with metal needles during online hemodiafiltration. Plastic cannulae are an option for achieving high-volume hemodiafiltration for patients with low blood flow rates.
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Many countries have their own hemodialysis (HD) quality assurance programs and star rating systems for HD facilities. However, the effects of HD quality assurance programs on patient mortality are not well understood. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of the Korean HD facility star rating on patient mortality in maintenance HD patients were evaluated. Methods: This longitudinal, observational cohort study included 35,271 patients receiving HD treatment from 741 facilities. The fivestar ratings of HD facilities were determined based on HD quality assessment data from 2015, which includes 12 quality measures in structural, procedural, and outcome domains. The patients were grouped into high (three to five stars) and low (one or two stars) groups based on HD facility star rating. Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the effects of star rating on patient mortality during the mean follow-up duration of 3 years. Results: The patient ratio between high and low HD facility star rating groups was 82.0% vs. 18.0%. The patients in the low star rating group showed lower single-pool Kt/V and higher calcium and phosphorus levels compared with subjects in the high star rating group. After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical parameters, the HD facility star rating independently increased the mortality risk (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.18; p = 0.002). Conclusion: The HD facilities with low star rating showed higher patient mortality.
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Patients with end-stage kidney disease face increased risk of cardiovascular events, and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) contributes to the high occurrence of cardiovascular mortality (CM). Although a high serum aldosterone (sALD) level is involved in the development of cardiovascular complications in the general population, this association is unclear in patients undergoing hemodialysis. We aimed to determine the impact of sALD on LVDD and CM among hemodialysis patients (HDPs). Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of maintenance HDPs without cardiovascular disease. The patients were divided into two groups according to the median level of sALD. All patients underwent baseline echocardiography to evaluate diastolic dysfunction (E/e’ ratio > 15). The LVDD and CM rates were compared between the high and low aldosterone groups. Results: We enrolled a total of 60 adult patients (mean age, 57.9 ± 12.1 years; males, 30.0%). The low aldosterone group had an increased left ventricular diastolic dimension compared with the high aldosterone group (52.2 ± 8.4 mm vs. 50.3 ± 5.2 mm, respectively; p = 0.03). Low log-aldosterone (odds ratio [OR], 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19–0.86) and large left atrial dimension (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.11–1.54) were independent risk factors for LVDD at baseline. In addition, Cox regression analysis demonstrated that low sALD was an independent predictor of CM in HDPs (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25–0.85; p = 0.01) during follow-up. Conclusion: Low sALD was not only associated with LVDD but was also an independent predictor of CM among HDPs regardless of their interdialytic weight gain.
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Methods@#This is a post hoc analysis of a prospective, controlled, randomized, unblinded study with 78 Korean hemodialysis patients receiving intravenous (n = 40) or subcutaneous (n = 38) erythropoietin therapy. We evaluated hemoglobin variability by calculating the frequency of hemoglobin measurements outside the target range during all visits. The high-frequency group was defined by those with hemoglobin variability over the median value (25%) while the low-frequency group was defined by those with hemoglobin variability of <25%. @*Results@#In this analysis, 37 patients (51.1%) were men, and the mean age was 50.6 ± 12.5 years. Twenty-five patients (35.2%) had diabetes mellitus. The frequency of the value being outside the target hemoglobin range was higher in the subcutaneous group compared to the intravenous group (0.36 ± 0.19 vs. 0.27 ± 0.12/visit, p = 0.03). The low-frequency group required significantly lower erythropoietin doses compared to the high-frequency group. In the adjusted Cox analysis, the parameter high-frequency group was a significant independent risk factor for cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 3.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.15–10.83; p = 0.03). @*Conclusion@#The risk of missing the target hemoglobin range increased with subcutaneous administration compared with intravenous erythropoietin administration in hemodialysis patients. An increased frequency of the value being outside the target hemoglobin range was also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
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We investigated clinical outcome of asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and identified risk factors associated with high patient mortality using Korean nationwide public database of 5,621 hospitalized patients. The mortality rate and admission rate to intensive care unit were compared between asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. The prediction model for patient mortality was developed through risk factor analysis among asymptomatic patients. The prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection was 25.8%. The mortality rates were not different between groups (3.3% vs. 4.5%, p=0.17). However, symptomatic patients were more likely to receive ICU care compared to asymptomatic patients (4.1% vs. 1.0%, p<0.0001). The age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index score (CCIS) was the most potent predictor for patient mortality in asymptomatic patients. The clinicians should predict the risk of death by evaluating age and comorbidities but not the presence of symptoms. Article Summary LineSince asymptomatic patients have similar mortality rate with symptomatic patients, the clinicians should not classify clinical severity according to initial presence of symptom.
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Aged population with comorbidities demonstrated high mortality rate and severe clinical outcome in the patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, whether age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index score (CCIS) predict fatal outcomes remains uncertain. This retrospective, nationwide cohort study was performed to evaluate patient mortality and clinical outcome according to CCIS among the hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection. We included 5,621 patients who had been discharged from isolation or had died from COVID-19 by April 30, 2020. The primary outcome was composites of death, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), use of mechanical ventilator or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The secondary outcome was mortality. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate CCIS as the independent risk factor for death. Among 5,621 patients, the high CCIS ([≥]3) group showed higher proportion of elderly population and lower plasma hemoglobin and lower lymphocyte and platelet counts. The high CCIS group was an independent risk factor for composite outcome (HR 3.63, 95% CI 2.45-5.37, P < 0.001) and patient mortality (HR 22.96, 95% CI 7.20-73.24, P < 0.001). The nomogram demonstrated that the CCIS was the most potent predictive factor for patient mortality. The predictive nomogram using CCIS for the hospitalized patients with COVID-19 may help clinicians to triage the high-risk population and to concentrate limited resources to manage them.
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Background@#Intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is known to play the major role in the development of hypertension and renal progression in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Urinary angiotensinogen to creatinine ratio (AGT/Cr) was suggested as a novel biomarker to reflect intrarenal RAS activity. This study was performed to evaluate urinary AGT/Cr as a predictive biomarker for renal function decline in addition to imaging classification in a prospective ADPKD cohort. @*Methods@#From 2011 to 2016, a total of 364 ADPKD patients were enrolled in the prospective cohort called the KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD). Among them, a total of 207 subjects in chronic kidney disease stage 1–4 with baseline urinary AGT and total kidney volume and subsequent renal function follow-up data over more than 1 year were included in the analysis. Patients were defined as slow progressors (SP) if they are classified as 1A or 1B by imaging classification whereas rapid progressors (RP) if they are classified as 1C–1E. Patients were divided according to AGT/Cr quartiles and annual estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) slope was compared among highest quartile (hAGT group) and the rest of quartiles (lAGT group). Patients were divided into 4 groups to evaluate the predictive value of urinary AGT/Cr in addition to imaging classification: SP/lAGT, SP/hAGT, RP/lAGT, and RP/hAGT. The Cox regression model was used to evaluate the hazard ratio (HR) between groups. @*Results@#The mean age was 45.9 years and 88.9% had hypertension. Baseline eGFR was 79.0 ± 28.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 and median height-adjusted total kidney volume was 788.2 (471.2;1,205.2) mL/m. The patients in the hAGT group showed lower eGFR (72.4 ± 24.8 vs. 81.1 ± 29.2 mL/min/1.73 m2, P = 0.039), lower plasma hemoglobin (13.0 ± 1.4 vs. 13.7 ± 1.6 g/dL, P = 0.007), higher urinary protein to creatinine ratio (0.14 [0.09, 0.38] vs. 0.07 [0.04, 0.12] g/g, P = 0.007) compared to the lAGT group. The hAGT group was an independent risk factor for faster eGFR decline after adjusting for gender, RP, baseline eGFR, and other known risk factors. During median follow-up duration of 4.6 years, a total of 29 renal events (14.0%) occurred. The SP/hAGT group showed significantly higher risk of developing renal outcome compared to SP/lAGT group (HR, 13.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.282–139.324; P = 0.03). @*Conclusion@#Urinary AGT/Cr can be a useful predictive marker in the patients with relatively small ADPKD. Various biomarkers should be considered to define RP when implementing novel treatment in the patients with ADPKD.
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BACKGROUND/AIMS@#Maintaining the patency of vascular access (VA) in hemodialysis (HD) patients is important and can be life-saving. We investigated the effects of aspirin resistance and mean platelet volume (MPV) on VA failure in HD patients.@*METHODS@#We enrolled 163 patients on maintenance HD. VA failure was defined as thrombosis or a decrease of > 50% of the normal vessel diameter, as revealed by angiography.@*RESULTS@#Aspirin resistance was observed in 17 of 109 patients in whom this parameter was measured, and was not significantly associated with VA failure (p = 0.051). The mean MPV was 9.15 ± 0.05 fL. The 163 patients were grouped by the median MPV value (9.08 fL) at baseline; patients with higher MPVs (n = 82) had lower platelet counts (p = 0.002) and albumin levels (p = 0.009). During 34 months of follow-up, 65 VA failures (39.9%) occurred. The Kaplan-Meier curve revealed significant differences between the two groups in terms of cumulative VA failure (54.1% vs. 35.3%, p = 0.018). On multivariate analysis, the MPV (hazard ratio [HR], 1.794; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.066 to 3.020; p = 0.028), platelet count (HR, 1.003; 95% CI, 1.001 to 1.006; p = 0.01), and smoking status (HR, 1.894; 95% CI, 1.019 to 3.519; p = 0.043) independently predicted VA failure.@*CONCLUSIONS@#A high MPV was associated with an increased risk of VA failure, whereas aspirin resistance showed only a weak association. The MPV may predict VA survival in HD patients.
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BACKGROUND/AIMS@#Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a self-limiting infectious disease, but 1% of subjects develop fulminant hepatitis. The prevalence of the anti-HAV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody in hemodialysis subjects in Korea remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the seropositive rate of anti-HAV antibody among hemodialysis subjects in two hospitals according to age group.@*METHODS@#A total of 170 hemodialysis subjects were evaluated for the seropositive rate of the anti-HAV IgG antibody and its titer.@*RESULTS@#Of the 170 maintenance hemodialysis subjects in two hospitals (Kangnam 92 vs. Chuncheon 78), 79 (46.5%) were male. The mean age was 53.2 years old, and 94.1% of the subjects were over 40 years old. The median vintage of hemodialysis was 29.0 months. Anti-HAV antibody was found in 163 subjects (95.9%), with no significant difference between the two areas (Kangnam 97.8% [n = 90] vs. Chuncheon 93.6% [n = 73]). Subjects younger than 40 years old showed a seropositive rate of 50%, while the seropositive rate increased with age for subjects aged 40 or older (p for trend < 0.001). Seropositive subjects from Kangnam showed a higher anti-HAV antibody titer than those from Chuncheon (median: Kangnam 14.2 vs. Chuncheon 11.7). Only age influenced seropositivity. The only factor that influenced the antibody level was the location of hospital (p < 0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The seropositive rate of the anti-HAV antibody in hemodialysis subjects was 95%, which is similar to findings in the general population. Active immunization against hepatitis A is strongly recommended for hemodialysis subjects under 40 years of age after anti-HAV testing.
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BACKGROUND: Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) and γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) are commonly observed in patients with acute pyelonephritis. The goal of this study was to examine the clinical significance of elevated serum AP and γ-GT levels and to explore the mechanisms underlying these changes. METHODS: We examined serum AP and γ-GT levels in 438 patients with acute pyelonephritis. Urine AP/creatinine (Cr), urine γ-GT/Cr, fractional excretion of AP, and fractional excretion of γ-GT (FE(γ-GT)) were evaluated in patients with elevated and normal serum levels. AP isoenzymes were also examined. RESULTS: We identified 77 patients (17.6%) with elevated serum AP and 134 patients (30.6%) with elevated serum γ-GT. Among them, both enzymes were elevated in 64 patients (14.6%). Older age, longer hospital stay, elevated baseline serum Cr, and complicated pyelonephritis were associated with increases in serum AP and γ-GT. Multivariate analysis showed that high serum AP levels were significantly correlated with renal impairment (odds ratio, 2.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.08–4.19; P = 0.029). FE(γ-GT) was significantly lower in patients with elevated serum enzyme levels. The liver fraction for AP isoenzyme profile did not increase in patients with elevated serum AP. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that elevated serum AP and γ-GT levels are associated with complicated pyelonephritis and renal impairment. Lower FE(γ-GT) levels in patients with elevated serum enzymes may be the result of decreased urinary excretion of these enzymes.
Subject(s)
Humans , Alkaline Phosphatase , gamma-Glutamyltransferase , Isoenzymes , Length of Stay , Liver , Multivariate Analysis , Pyelonephritis , TransferasesABSTRACT
Patients receiving hemodialysis are vulnerable to infectious diseases due to their impaired immunity and high risk of exposure to pathogens. To protect patients, staff, and visitors from potential infections, each hemodialysis unit should establish and follow standard infection control and prevention measures. Therefore, clinical practice guidelines were developed by a working group of nephrologists and infection control specialists to provide evidence-based guidance for dialysis physicians and nurses, with the aim of preventing infection transmission and controlling infection sources in hemodialysis facilities. The areas of infection control covered by these guidelines include standard precautions, isolation strategies, vascular access, water treatment, cleaning/disinfecting/sterilizing, and vaccination. This special report summarizes the key recommendations from the Korean clinical practice guidelines for preventing the transmission of infections in hemodialysis facilities.
Subject(s)
Humans , Communicable Diseases , Dialysis , Disease Transmission, Infectious , Infection Control , Renal Dialysis , Specialization , Vaccination , Water PurificationABSTRACT
Idiopathic membranous nephropathy is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome, and has been reported as a cause of idiopathic primary glomerulonephropathy in up to 90% of patients. However, the treatment options remain controversial. We report two cases of idiopathic membranous nephropathy that were treated with rituximab. A 54-year-old man and a 64-year old man were admitted for rituximab therapy. They had previously been treated with combinations of immunosuppressive agents including cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, mycophenolate, and steroids. However, the patients' heavy proteinuria was not resolved. Both patients received rituximab therapy, 2 weeks apart. After several months of follow-up and a second round of rituximab treatment for each patient, their proteinuria decreased and partial remission of disease was achieved in both patients.