Peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis presenting with Ralstonia pickettii infection: A novel series of three cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritonitis secondary to Ralstonia infection is very rare. Ralstonia pickettii is an organism that can grow in contaminated saline, water, chlorhexidine, and other medical products used in laboratories and the clinical setting. Infective endocarditis, prosthetic joint, and severe chest infections are previously reported with R. pickettii infection. We report a novel series of three cases diagnosed with PD-associated peritonitis caused by R. pickettii, where the cases appeared consecutively to our unit during a span of 4 weeks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were increased uses of non-sterile gloves by clinical staff as a form of personal protective equipment throughout patient interaction and PD exchange, as recommended by local hospital policy for all staff attending to patient care. A multidisciplinary team root cause analysis of our cases suggested non-sterile gloves being the likely source of environmental contamination, leading to PD-associated peritonitis caused by R. pickettii in this scenario.

The epidemiology of primary FSGS including cluster analysis over a 20-year period.

INTRODUCTION: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is one of the leading causes of nephrotic syndrome in adults. This epidemiological study describes a renal centre's 20-year experience of primary FSGS. METHODS: Patients were identified with a diagnosis of primary FSGS after exclusion of known secondary causes. In this retrospective observational study, data was collected for baseline demographics, immunosuppression and outcomes. A two-step cluster analysis was used to identify natural groupings within the dataset. RESULTS: The total cohort was made up of 87 patients. Those who received immunosuppression had lower median serum albumin than those who did not- 23g/L vs 40g/L (p<0.001) and higher median urine protein creatinine ratios (uPCR)- 795mg/mmol vs 318mg/mmol (p <0.001). They were more likely to achieve complete remission (62% vs 40%, p=0.041), but relapsed more 48.6% vs 22% (p=0.027). Overall 5 year mortality was 10.3% and 5 year progression to RRT was seen in 17.2%. Complete remission was observed in 49.4%. The 2-step cluster analysis separated the cohort into 3 clusters: cluster 1 (n=26) with 'nephrotic-range proteinuria'; cluster 2 (n=43) with 'non-nephrotic-range proteinuria'; and cluster 3 (n=18) with nephrotic syndrome. Immunosuppression use was comparable in clusters 1 and 3, but lower in cluster 2 (77.8% and 69.2% vs 11.6%, p<0.001). Rates of complete remission were greatest in clusters 1 and 3 vs cluster 2: 57.7% and 66.7% vs 37.2%. CONCLUSION: People who received immunosuppression had lower serum albumin and achieved remission more frequently, but were also prone to relapse. Our cluster analysis highlighted 3 FSGS phenotypes: a nephrotic cluster that clearly require immunosuppression; a cohort with preserved serum albumin and non-nephrotic range proteinuria who will benefit from supportive care; and lastly a cluster with heavy proteinuria but serum albumin > 30g/L. This group may still have immune mediated disease and thus could potentially benefit from immunosuppression. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study protocol was reviewed and approved by the 'Research and Innovation committee of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group', study approval number (Ref: ID 22HIP54).

Investigating the utility of COVID-19 antibody testing in end-stage renal disease patients receiving haemodialysis: a cohort study in the United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients receiving haemodialysis (HD) are a vulnerable group of patients with increased mortality from COVID-19. Despite improved understanding, the duration of host immunity following COVID-19 infection and role of serological testing alone or in addition to real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) testing in the HD population is not fully understood, which this study aimed to investigate. METHODS: There were two parts to this study. Between 15th March 2020 to 15th July 2020, patients receiving HD who tested positive on rRT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were recruited into the COVID-19 arm, whilst asymptomatic patients without a previous diagnosis of COVID-19 were recruited to the epidemiological arm of the Salford Kidney Study (SKS). All patients underwent monthly testing for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies as per routine clinical practice since August 2020. The aims were twofold: firstly, to determine seroprevalence and COVID-19 exposure in the epidemiological arm; secondly, to assess duration of the antibody response in the COVID-19 arm. Baseline characteristics were reviewed between groups. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Mann-Whitney U and Chi-squared tests were used for testing significance of difference between groups. RESULTS: In our total HD population of 411 patients, 32 were PCR-positive for COVID-19. Of the remaining patients, 237 were recruited into the SKS study, of whom 12 (5.1%) had detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Of the 32 PCR-positive patients, 27 (84.4%) were symptomatic and 25 patients admitted to hospital due to their symptoms. Of the 22 patients in COVID-19 arm that underwent testing for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies beyond 7 months, all had detectable antibodies. A higher proportion of the patients with COVID-19 were frail compared to patients without a diagnosis of COVID-19 (64.3% vs 34.1%, p = 0.003). Other characteristics were similar between the groups. Over a median follow up of 7 months, a higher number of deaths were recorded in patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 compared to those without (18.7% vs 5.9%, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Serological testing in the HD population is a valuable tool to determine seroprevalence, monitor exposure, and guide improvements for infection prevention and control (IPC) measures to help prevent local outbreaks. This study revealed HD patients mount a humoral response detectable until at least 7 months after COVID-19 infection and provides hope of similar protection with the vaccines recently approved.

Safely reducing haemodialysis frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) are at higher risk of developing worse outcomes if they contract COVID-19. In our renal service we reduced HD frequency from thrice to twice-weekly in selected patients with the primary aim of reducing COVID 19 exposure and transmission between HD patients. METHODS: Dialysis unit nephrologists identified 166 suitable patients (38.4% of our HD population) to temporarily convert to twice-weekly haemodialysis immediately prior to the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in our area. Changes in pre-dialysis weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and biochemistry were recorded weekly throughout the 4-week project. Hyperkalaemic patients (serum potassium > 6.0 mmol/L) were treated with a potassium binder, sodium bicarbonate and received responsive dietary advice. RESULTS: There were 12 deaths (5 due to COVID-19) in the HD population, 6 of which were in the twice weekly HD group; no deaths were definitively associated with change of dialysis protocol. A further 19 patients were either hospitalised and/or developed COVID-19 and thus transferred back to thrice weekly dialysis as per protocol. 113 (68.1%) were still receiving twice-weekly HD by the end of the 4-week project. Indications for transfer back to thrice weekly were; fluid overload (19), persistent hyperkalaemia (4), patient request (4) and compliance (1). There were statistically significant increases in SBP and pre-dialysis potassium during the project. CONCLUSIONS: Short term conversion of a large but selected HD population to twice-weekly dialysis sessions was possible and safe. This approach could help mitigate COVID-19 transmission amongst dialysis patients in centres with similar organisational pressures.

The potential of electrocardiography for cardiac risk prediction in chronic and end-stage kidney disease.

Cardiovascular mortality is very high in chronic and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). However, risk stratification data are lacking. Sudden cardiac deaths are among the most common cardiovascular causes of death in these populations. As a result, many studies have assessed the prognostic potential of various electrocardiographic parameters in the renal population. Recent data from studies of implantable loop recordings in haemodialysis patients from five different countries have shed light on a pre-eminent bradyarrhythmic risk of mortality. Importantly, heart block addressed by permanent pacing system was detected in a proportion of patients during the prolonged recording periods. Standard electrocardiogram is inexpensive, non-invasive and easily accessible. Hence, risk prediction models using this simple investigation tool could easily translate into clinical practice. We believe that electrocardiographic assessment is currently under-valued in renal populations. For this review, we identified studies from the preceding 10 years that assessed the use of conventional and novel electrocardiographic biomarkers as risk predictors in chronic and ESKD. The review indicates that conventional electrocardiographic markers are not reliable for risk stratification in the renal populations. Novel parameters have shown promising results in smaller studies, but further validation in larger populations is required.

Arrhythmia in hemodialysis patients and its relation to sudden death.

Sudden death in patients on hemodialysis is believed to be due to arrhythmia, but the evidence for this is surprisingly limited. Five studies involving implantable loop recorders in patients on hemodialysis have now been published, and 4 have shown that bradyarrhythmia rather than tachyarrhythmia are the pre-eminent arrhythmic associations of fatal events. The Monitoring in Dialysis study, reported in this issue, sheds new light on the relationships of arrhythmia to the conventional 3-session weekly hemodialysis cycle.

Improved management of acute kidney injury in primary care using e-alerts and an educational outreach programme.

Purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI) detected in primary care is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. AKI electronic alerts (e-alerts) and educational programmes have recently been implemented but their contribution to improve AKI care is unknown. This project aimed to improve response to AKI detected in primary care and used a factorial design to evaluate the impact of the UK National Health Service (NHS) AKI e-alert and AKI educational outreach sessions on time to response to primary care AKI stages 2 and 3 between April and August 2016. Methods: A total of 46 primary care practices were randomized into four groups. A 2 × 2 factorial design exposed each group to different combinations of two interventions. The primary outcome was 'time to repeat test' or hospitalization following AKI e-alert for stages 2 and 3. Yates algorithm was used to evaluate the impact of each intervention. Time to response and mortality pre- and post-intervention were analysed using Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test respectively. The factorial design included two interventions: an AKI educational outreach programme and the NHS AKI e-alerts. Results: 1807 (0.8%) primary care blood tests demonstrated AKI 1-3 (78.3% stage 1, 14.8% stage 2, 6.9% stage 3). There were 391 stage 2 and 3 events from 251 patients. E-alerts demonstrated a reduction in mean response time (-29 hours). Educational outreach had a smaller effect (-3 hours). Median response time to AKI 2 and 3 pre- and post-interventions was 27 hours versus 16 hours respectively (P = 0.037). Stage 2 and 3 event-related 30-day all-cause mortality decreased following the interventions (15.6% versus 3.9% P = 0.036). Conclusion: AKI e-alerts in primary care hasten response to AKI 2 and 3 and reduce all-cause mortality. Educational outreach sessions further improve response time.

Association of QRS-T angle and heart rate variability with major cardiac events and mortality in hemodialysis patients.

INTRODUCTION: Mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients is high with significant proportion attributed to fatal arrhythmias. In a pilot study, we showed that intradialytic electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring can yield stable profiles of selected repolarisation descriptors and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters. This study investigated the relationship of these ECG markers with major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and mortality. METHODS: Continuous ECGs were obtained during HD and repeated five times at 2-week intervals. The QRS-T angle calculated as Total Cosine R to T (TCRT) and T-wave morphology dispersion (TMD) were calculated in overlapping 10 s ECG segments. High- (HF) and low (LF)-frequency components and the LF/HF ratio of HRV were calculated every 5 min. These indices were averaged during the first hour of dialysis and subsequently overall recordings in each subject. RESULTS: All ECG parameters were available in 72 patients aged 61 ± 15, 23 (31.9%) females and 26 (36.1%) diabetics. After a median follow up of 54.8 months, 16 patients died, 20 were transplanted, and 9 suffered MACE. TCRT (in degrees) was higher and LF/HF was lower in patients who died compared to survivors (112 ± 30 vs. 73 ± 35, p = 0.000 and 0.222 ± 0.418 vs. 0.401 ± 0.274, p = 0.000, respectively) and in MACE positive compared to negative (117 ± 40 vs. 77 ± 34, p = 0.017 and 0.125 ± 0.333 vs.0.401 ± 0.274, p = 0.007 respectively). In multivariate Cox regression analysis of mortality risk adjusted for age, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease, TCRT and LF/HF remained significant predictors (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: QRS-T angle and HRV may serve risk assessment in future prospective studies in HD patients.

Challenges of ECG monitoring and ECG interpretation in dialysis units.

Patients on hemodialysis (HD) suffer from high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality due to high rates of coronary artery disease and arrhythmias. Electrocardiography (ECG) is often performed in the dialysis units as part of routine clinical assessment. However, fluid and electrolyte changes have been shown to affect all ECG morphologies and intervals. ECG interpretation thus depends on the time of the recording in relation to the HD session. In addition, arrhythmias during HD are common, and dialysis-related ECG artifacts mimicking arrhythmias have been reported. Studies using advanced ECG analyses have examined the impact of the HD procedure on selected repolarization descriptors and heart rate variability indices. Despite the challenges related to the impact of the fluctuant fluid and electrolyte status on conventional and advanced ECG parameters, further research in ECG monitoring during dialysis has the potential to provide clinically meaningful and practically useful information for diagnostic and risk stratification purposes.

Risk of sudden cardiac death in chronic kidney disease.

The review discusses the epidemiology and the possible underlying mechanisms of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in chronic kidney disease (CKD), and highlights the unmet clinical need for noninvasive risk stratification strategies in these patients. Although renal dysfunction shares common risk factors and often coexists with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the presence of renal impairment increases the risk of arrhythmic complications to an extent that cannot be explained by the severity of the atherosclerotic process. Renal impairment is an independent risk factor for SCD from the early stages of CKD; the risk increases as renal function declines and reaches very high levels in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis. Autonomic imbalance, uremic cardiomyopathy, and electrolyte disturbances likely play a role in increasing the arrhythmic risk and can be potential targets for treatment. Cardioverter defibrillator treatment could be offered as lifesaving treatment in selected patients, although selection strategies for this treatment mode are presently problematic in dialyzed patients. The review also examines the current experience with risk stratification tools in renal patients and suggests that noninvasive electrophysiological testing during dialysis may be of clinical value as it provides the necessary standardized environment for reproducible measurements for risk stratification purposes.

Sex-dependent association between heart rate variability and pulse pressure in haemodialysis patients.

AIMS: Increased pulse pressure (PP) is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Autonomic imbalance is common in HD patients and predisposes to sudden cardiac death, but its relationship to PP is unknown. We investigated the relationship between cardiac autonomic modulation assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) and PP in HD patients. METHODS: Continuous electrocardiograms recorded during HD sessions were repeated 5 times at 2-week intervals in stable HD patients. The high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) components and the LF/HF ratio of HRV were calculated during the first and last hour of the recordings. These values and the corresponding systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and PP measurements were averaged in repeated recordings of each patient. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients were included in the final analysis (aged 61 ± 15 years, 32% females, 37% diabetics). In male patients, LF/HF correlated inversely with pre- and post-HD PP (r = -0.369, p = 0.007 and r = -0.546, p = 0.000, respectively), positively with pre- and post-HD DBP (r = 0.358, p = 0.009 and r = 0.306, p = 0.028, respectively) and inversely with post-HD SBP (r = -0.350, p = 0.011). In female patients, LF/HF correlated positively with post-HD SBP (r = 0.422, p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: We observed an association between PP and HRV in male HD patients. Sex differences may be important for cardiac risk assessment.

Parathyroid hormone and heart rate variability in haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Depressed heart rate variability (HRV) reflects abnormal cardiac autonomic regulation and has been linked with increased cardiovascular risk and sudden cardiac death. High parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels have also been associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Our aim was to investigate the association between HRV indices and PTH in HD patients. METHODS: Continuous intradialytic electrocardiograms were repeated in stable HD patients 5 times every 2 weeks. The absolute values of high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) HRV components were calculated every 5 min and averaged during the first and last hour of each recording (distinguished by subscripts F and L, respectively). Pre-HD PTH, corrected calcium, and phosphate levels were measured before the first recording. RESULTS: Data were analysed for 75 subjects aged 60 ± 15, 32% females, 37% diabetics. Baseline biochemical parameters were PTH 44 ± 32 pmol/l, calcium 2.3 ± 0.2 mmol/l, and phosphate 1.6 ± 0.4 mmol/l. All HRV indices showed intra-subject stability over the 5 recordings. Diabetics had lower LFL compared to non-diabetics (-5.5 ± 0.5 vs. -5.2 ± 0.5 after logarithmic transformation, p = 0.012). In non-diabetics, PTH correlated negatively with LFL and HFL (LFL r = -0.340, p = 0.020, HFL r = -0.325, p = 0.026) and phosphate correlated negatively with LFF (r = -0.427, p = 0.003), HFF (r = -0.442, p = 0.002) and HFL (r = -0.307, p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: High PTH and phosphate are associated with depressed HRV in non-diabetic dialysis patients. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the role of mineral abnormalities in autonomic imbalance and arrhythmic risk in HD patients.

Major arrhythmic events and T wave morphology descriptors in hemodialyzed patients.

BACKGROUND: Sudden cardiac death is common in patients receiving regular hemodialysis (HD). We recently demonstrated that selected repolarization descriptors calculated from electrocardiographic monitoring during HD demonstrate intra-subject stability. In this study we followed up the initial cohort for major arrhythmic events (MAE). METHODS: Holter electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded during dialysis in 81 HD patients and repeated 5 times at 2 week intervals. The QRS-to-T angle (TCRT), the principal component analysis (PCA) ratio and the T wave morphology dispersion (TMD) were calculated in overlapping 10 second ECG segments and averaged overall recordings in each patient. Patients were followed up for MAE and non-arrhythmic mortality. RESULTS: During 18 ± 3 months, 3 patients experienced MAE. Compared to others, MAE patients exhibited extreme TCRT and TMD values and minimal intradialytic changes. CONCLUSION: The prognostic value of repolarization descriptors from intradialytic monitoring should be assessed prospectively.

Remote Surveillance Technology of Dialysis Arteriovenous Access: Retrospective Evaluation in a UK Renal Centre.

BACKGROUND: Early identification of dysfunctional arteriovenous haemodialysis (HD) vascular access (VA) is important for timely referral and intervention. METHOD: We retrospectively calculated VA risk score using Vasc-Alert surveillance software technology from HD treatment sessions in 2 satellite HD units over 18 months. We included in the analysis HD patients dialysing with arteriovenous fistula or graft (AVF/G) with available Vasc-Alert data for≥ 2 months. For group one (eventful) that included patients who developed vascular access thrombosis or stenosis over the study period, we collected Vasc-Alert risk score 2 months prior to the event and, for group two (uneventful), over 5 consecutive months. Vasc-Alert technology utilises routinely collected data during HD to calculate VA risk score and triggers an alert if the score is ≥7 in 3 consecutive dialysis sessions. Patients with >2 alerts (vascular access score ≥7) per month were considered to have positive alerts. RESULTS: From 140 HD patients, 81 patients dialysed via AVF/G. 77/81 had available Vasc-Alert data and were included in the final analysis. Out of 17 eventful patients, 11 (64.7%) had positive alerts 2 months prior to the vascular event. Out of the 60 patients without vascular events, 20 patients (33.3%) had positive alert. Vasc-Alert's sensitivity and specificity for vascular events were 64.7% and 66.6%, respectively. Within the 6 patients with thrombosed access, 2 patients (33.3%) detected by Vasc-Alert were not detected with clinical monitoring. CONCLUSION: Vascular access risk score can be a useful non-invasive vascular access surveillance method to assist clinical decision making.

T wave morphology changes during hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification for sudden cardiac death in hemodialysis (HD) patients is an unmet clinical need. Non invasive electrophysiological testing is challenging in these patients due to their oscillating cardiovascular and electrolyte status induced by the intermittent HD treatment. We hypothesized that continuous electrocardiographic monitoring during their regular HD session can provide reproducible repolarisation profiles. METHODS: Continuous 12-lead digital electrocardiographs (ECGs) were recorded during dialysis in stable patients and were repeated at two-week intervals for 5 times. QRS-to-T angle (TCRT), principal component analysis (PCA) ratio and T wave morphology dispersion (TMD) were calculated every 5s in overlapping 10-s ECG segments. Serum electrolytes and plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were measured prior to the first recording. RESULTS: There were 319 acceptable recordings from 76 hemodialysed patients. Repeated Measures Anova showed intra-subject reproducibility of all descriptors. Mean PCA ratio and TMD values increased through dialysis and their intradialytic change correlated with heart rate changes (r = 0.305, p = 0.007 and r = 0.287, p = 0.012, respectively). TCRT showed a variable response to HD and the intradialytic change correlated positively with PTH levels (r = 0.284, p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Repolarisation descriptors demonstrate subject-specific dynamic profiles during HD. PTH has a role in dynamics of myocardial repolarisation. The potential clinical utility of continuous intradialytic ECGs for risk stratification purposes should be prospectively evaluated.

Delivering Personalized, Goal-Directed Care to Older Patients Receiving Peritoneal Dialysis.

Background: An aging population living with chronic kidney disease and progressing to kidney failure, subsequently receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) is growing. A significant proportion of these patients are also living with multi-morbidities and some degree of frailty. Recent practice recommendations from the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis advocate for high-quality, goal-directed PD prescription, and the Standardized Outcomes of Nephrology-PD initiative emphasized the need for an individualized, goal-based care approach in all patients receiving PD treatment. In older patients, this approach to PD care is even more important. A frailty screening assessment, followed by a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) prior to PD initiation and when dictated by change in relevant circumstances is paramount in tailoring PD care and prescription according to the needs, life goals, as well as clinical status of older patients with kidney failure. Summary: Our review aimed to summarize the different dimensions to be taken into account when delivering PD care to the older patient - from frailty screening and CGA in older patients receiving PD to employing a personalized, goal-directed PD prescription strategy, to preserving residual kidney function, optimizing blood pressure (BP) control, and managing anemia, to addressing symptom burden, to managing nutritional intake and promoting physical exercise, and to explore telehealth opportunities for the older PD population. Key Messages: What matters most to older PD patients may not be simply extending survival, but more importantly, to be living comfortably on PD treatment with minimal symptom burden in a home environment and to minimize treatment complications.

Improving outpatient clinic experience: the future of chronic kidney disease care and associated multimorbidity.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to affect more than 2.5 million adults in England, and this is expected to rise to 4.2 million by 2036 (1). Population-level digital healthcare systems have the potential to enable earlier detection of CKD providing an opportunity to introduce interventions that attenuate progression and reduce the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Services that can support patients with CKD, CVD, and diabetes mellitus (DM) have the potential to reduce fragmented clinical care and optimise pharmaceutical management. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Salford renal service has established an outpatient improvement programme which aims to address these issues via two projects. Firstly, the development of a CKD dashboard that can stratify patients by their kidney failure risk equation (KFRE) risk. High-risk patients would be invited to attend an outpatient clinic if appropriate. Specialist advice and guidance would be offered to primary care providers looking after patients with medium risk. Patients with lower risk would continue with standard care via their primary care provider unless there was another indication for a nephrology referral. The CKD dashboard identified 11546 patients (4.4% of the total adult population in Salford) with T2DM and CKD. The second project is the establishment of the Metabolic CardioRenal (MRC) clinic. It provided care for 209 patients in the first 8 months of its establishment with a total of 450 patient visits. Initial analysis showed clustering of cardiorenal metabolic diseases with 85% having CKD stages 3 and 4 and 73.2% having DM. In addition, patients had a significant burden of CVD with 50.2% having hypertension and 47.8% having heart failure. CONCLUSION: There is a pressing need to create new outpatient models of care to tackle the rising epidemic of cardio-renal metabolic diseases. This model of service has potential benefits at both organisational and patient levels including improving patient management via risk stratification, increased care capacity and reduction of variation of care. Patients will benefit from earlier intervention, appropriate referral for care, reduction in CKD-related complications, and reduction in hospital visits and cardiovascular events. In addition, this combined digital and patient-facing model of care will allow rapid translation of advances in cardio-renal metabolic diseases into clinical practice.

A pilot project evaluating a fixed drainage system (U-Drain) for automated peritoneal dialysis.

U-Drain is a fixed drainage system for automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) connecting the dialysis effluent outflow directly to the household drainage system thus avoiding the need for drain bags, with considerable potential advantages for patient convenience and reduction of plastic clinical waste. Here we present a pilot project reporting on U-Drain patient and staff experience based on questionnaires and on the safety of the technology derived from analysis of characteristics of peritonitis episodes. Overall, 15 patients were included in the pilot project and were followed up over 3 years; 11 patients completed a questionnaire exploring their experiences of APD and U-Drain. A family member 55%, carer 10%, healthcare assistant 10% and patient themselves 25% would normally carry the full drainage bags for disposal. Following the installation of U-Drain, 90% of patients reported that the system saved them time setting up and clearing the machine after dialysis, 80% noted a reduction in storage space required for consumables and all patients noted a reduction in non-recyclable waste requiring disposal. All patients who completed the questionnaire were very satisfied with the installation. All staff members who completed the questionnaire reported that their role was easier and the system was time saving. In total, there were 8 peritonitis episodes, including 2 recurrent infections due to biofilm, over 313 patient months follow up. There was no increase in incidence of peritonitis infection (0.3 episodes per year at risk) compared to that in the unit's population (0.64, 0.42 and 0.5 episodes per year at risk for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively) or delays in diagnosis. Approximately 0.8 kg of non-recyclable clinical waste was saved per treatment day from domestic waste by avoiding the use of PD drain bags. This pilot demonstrates increased patient satisfaction and acceptable safety profile of U-Drain technology.