Renal angina index for early identification of risk of acute kidney injury in critically ill children.

BACKGROUND: The main objective was to test whether the Renal Angina Index (RAI), calculated on patient admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), is associated with the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) based on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) (stage ≥ 2) in 72 h. The specific aim was to analyze the performance of the RAI at a specialized oncology PICU. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study involving two pediatric intensive care units located within a general hospital and an oncology hospital. Children aged ≥ 3 months to < 18 years admitted to the intensive care units in 2017 with a length of stay ≥ 72 h were included. RESULTS: The sample included 249 patients, of which 51% were male (127 patients), with median age of 77 months, and mean ICU stay of 5 days. Of the total admissions, 141 were clinical (57%) and 108 surgical. The rate of AKI was 15% and death rate within 30 days was 13%. Having a positive RAI on admission showed a statistically significant association with AKI at Day 3 (OR = 18.5, 95%CI = 4.3 - 78.9, p < 0.001) and with death (OR = 3.9, 95%CI = 1.6 - 9.9, p = 0.004). The accuracy of the RAI in the cancer population was 0.81 on the ROC curve (95%CI 0.74, 0.88). CONCLUSIONS: The RAI is a useful tool for predicting AKI and death in critically ill children, including in oncology units.

Children on chronic hemodialysis before the first year of age in Brazil: A 3-year survival analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The limited data on survival rates of small children undergoing hemodialysis preclude comparison with other countries. The goal of this study was to determine the mortality rate and its risk factors in children starting hemodialysis during their first year of life. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study, based on data from a reference dialysis center in São Paulo city. Data from 47 (8 females) children who underwent chronic hemodialysis before the first year of age were analyzed. Survival was characterized using Kaplan-Meier methods and log-rank tests, followed by a multivariable Cox regression model. RESULTS: The survival rates were 93%, 75%, and 64% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Only cardiovascular comorbidity was significantly associated with the mortality outcome (HR = 5.7, 95% CI = 1.7-19.6, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: The survival rate among children who started hemodialysis in their first year of life was reasonable, similar to international standards.

Management of Hypertension in CAKUT: Protective Factor for CKD.

Patients with congenital kidney and urinary tract abnormalities (CAKUT) will often develop end-stage renal disease at some point and the need for renal replacement therapy is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Hence, efforts to slow the progression of the disease are essential. Hypertension has been proven to be an independent risk factor for faster decline of glomerular filtration rate in renal patients, but studies involving only children with CAKUT are scarce. We performed a literature review to explore the association of hypertension with faster chronic kidney disease progression in children with CAKUT and also treatment options in this condition. A recent study reported an annual decline in GFR of 1.8 ml/min/1.73 m2 among hypertensive patients with non-glomerular CKD, compared with 0.8 ml/min/1.73 m2 in normotensive children. A multicenter prospective cohort in Brazil showed that a 1-unit increase in systolic blood pressure Z-score was associated with a 1.5-fold higher risk of disease progression. Since renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation is the most important mechanism of hypertension in these children, the first-line therapy involves the use of inhibitors of this axis, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers type I, which also promote an anti-fibrotic effect. Recent studies have shown a good safety profile for use in patients with chronic kidney disease and also in those with solitary kidneys. Hypertension is an independent risk factor for kidney disease progression and should be promptly managed for renal protection, especially among patients with CAKUT, the primary cause of chronic kidney disease in the pediatric population.

Is arterial calcification in children and adolescents with end-stage renal disease a rare finding?

AIM: To investigate if calcification and intimal media thickness (IMT) of arteries are present in children and adolescents with end-stage renal disease and to describe the risk factors associated with these alterations. METHODS: In an observational, cross-sectional prospective study, 68 patients were evaluated at the time of renal transplantation. A fragment of the inferior epigastric artery was removed during surgery for histopathological analysis to verify the presence or not of arterial calcification. Two outcomes were considered: the presence of calcium deposition and the measurement of the IMT of the artery. The potential exposure variables were: age, chronic kidney disease aetiology, diagnosis time, systolic blood pressure (SBP), use of oral active vitamin D, homocysteine and C-reactive protein. RESULTS: No arterial calcification was observed in the studied sample. The median value of the IMT of the inferior epigastric artery was 166 µm (interquartile range = 130-208). SBP standard deviation score and age were the only factors associated with this outcome. There was no statistical interaction between SBP and age with the IMT (P = 0.280). CONCLUSION: Arterial calcification is rare in children and adolescents with end-stage renal disease. The factors associated with IMT were age and SBP.

Priority for children in cadaveric kidney sharing: the strategy adopted in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Early kidney transplantation is crucial in order to accomplish both optimal mental development and the best adult height in children with end-stage renal disease. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of the child priority policy for cadaveric kidney sharing adopted in the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil). We performed a retrospective study of data collected by the Government Transplant Department in São Paulo, involving all patients included in the waiting list from August 13, 1998 to December 31, 2001. During the study period, the child priority policy had been changed giving: period A--from the outset up to March 14, 2001, where the rule was to direct cadaveric kidneys obtained from children <12 yr, to recipients <12 yr; period B--from March 14, 2001 onwards, where the policy had been broadened to include cadaveric donors <18 yr, destined for recipients <18 yr. We performed the analysis of the data comprising 8940 patients, 8622 being adults (mean age = 48.6 +/- 14.1 yr, 3594 females) and 318 children (mean age = 11.9 +/- 5.1 yr, 156 females). Over the 3.5-yr follow-up there were 1964 deaths [1933 adults and 31 children, odds ratio (OR) 0.37; 95% CI 0.25-0.55], 1032 living donor kidney transplants (963 adults and 69 children, OR 2.20; 95% CI 1.66-2.93), and 556 cadaveric kidney transplants (444 adults and 112 children, OR 10.11; 95% CI 7.75-12.94). Three and a half years after being enrolled on the list, 24% of the children and 75% of the adults, respectively, were still awaiting a cadaveric kidney transplant (log rank test = 539, p < 0.00001). The analysis of period A vs. period B, suggests that the raising of the inclusion age upper limit to 18 yr, resulted in a twofold increase in the percentage of children being grafted within 6 months of enrollment. Overall, our data shows a slow rate of cadaveric kidney transplantation activity in Sao Paulo. Children's chances of receiving a living donor kidney almost doubled. Moreover, 19.5% of pediatric recipients had received their kidney within the first year of being enrolled on the waiting list. The scheme adopted in Sao Paulo is encouraging, but the results remain less favorable than those observed in other countries. The adoption of the priority policy did not result in an unacceptable increase of adult waiting time, given that the number of adults on our waiting list outweighs by far the number of children.