Incorporating the Clinical Frailty Scale into routine outpatient nephrology practice: an observational study of feasibility and associations.

BACKGROUND: There is an unmet need for routine and accurate prognostication of older adults with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and subsequently inadequate advance care planning. Frailty, a clinical syndrome of increased vulnerability, is predictive of adverse health outcomes in the renal population. We propose the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) as a feasible tool for routine use in the nephrology outpatient setting to address this unmet need. AIMS: To assess feasibility and associations of incorporating CFS assessment into routine outpatient nephrology practice in the pre-dialysis setting. METHODS: CFS was integrated into the outpatient nephrology clinic proforma. A convenience sample of 138 patients aged >50 years, with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 , attending the outpatient service between September 2018 and April 2019 was included. RESULTS: Eighty-one CFS assessments were completed by nephrologists, nephrology advanced trainees and clinical nurse specialists. CFS completion rates were 79% from the multidisciplinary Low Clearance Clinic and 41% from nurse-led Pre-dialysis Education Clinic. Planned modality of ESKD management varied with degree of frailty (P < 0.001). 21% of patients who had CFS completed were planned for Conservative Management of ESKD, in contrast to only 5% of those who did not have CFS assessment completed (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Frailty assessment via CFS was feasible in outpatient practice when integrated into routine clinical assessment in a dedicated clinic. Planned ESKD management varied with the degree of frailty. Completion of frailty assessment, when compared with non-completion, appears to be associated with increased planned conservative management of ESKD.

Anemia after kidney transplantation is not completely explained by reduced kidney function.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is prevalent among kidney transplant recipients and likely contributes to mortality and morbidity. Prevalence of anemia is associated strongly with degree of kidney graft dysfunction; however, it remains unclear whether additional transplant-associated factors also contribute. METHODS: The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of anemia between 2 cohorts, 1 of kidney transplant recipients (n = 851) and another from the general population (n = 732), sourced from subjects of the AusDiab study and selected by means of propensity score to provide a cohort matched for kidney function (Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance). RESULTS: Average hemoglobin level in kidney transplant recipients was (13.1 g/dL [131 g/L]; range, 9.0 to 18.0 g/dL), significantly less than in the general population (14.3 g/dL [143 g/L]; range, 9.7 to 20.0 g/dL). The prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin < 12.0 g/dL [<120 g/L] for females; <12.5 g/dL [<125 g/L] for males) was almost 10-fold greater in kidney transplant recipients (30.8%) versus the general population (3.4%). Average hemoglobin level was lower in the kidney-transplant-recipient cohort at all levels of creatinine clearance. Considering both cohorts pooled, multivariate analysis showed that transplant status had the strongest association with anemia, followed by sex, creatinine clearance, and age. CONCLUSION: Posttransplantation anemia cannot be attributed solely to impaired kidney function.