[Influence of blood pressure control on maintenance of residual function in patients treated by haemodialysis].

INTRODUCTION: Residual renal function (RRF) in the patients treated by haemodialysis (HD) is associated not only with better volume and blood pressure control but also with better metabolic control.The condition of the cardiovascular system significantly affects RRF. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to find if there was any association between blood pressure regulation and the achieved HD ultrafiltration in the first year of haemodialysis treatment and the maintenance of RRF. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 53 patients were analyzed in the period 1994-2002. Residual clearance of urea (RCU) was measured for the first time at the beginning of HD treatment, and for the second time one year later. Laboratory data and values of blood pressure as well as the achieved HD ultrafiltration were taken from the electronic database of the Nephrology Hospital. RESULTS: The value of RCU less than 1 ml/min was considered as the loss of RRF and, at the beginning of HD treatment, 14 patients (26.4%) had that result. The rise of mean arterial pressure (MAP) was associated in linear regression analysis with a drop of residual diuresis volume (beta = -0.28; p = 0.04), but there was no association with RCU. The patients with MAP > 105 mm Hg had RKU less than the patients with MAP < 105 mm Hg (t = 2.23; p = 0.03). The rise of the HD ultrafiiltration significantly affected the loss of RRF obtained by the linear regression analysis (beta = -0.44; p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The greater HD ultrafiltration is related to a drop of RCU values. Only prospective randomised trials with the use of multiple regression analysis could define a more precise association between hypertension and RKU.

[Renal replacement therapy in adult dominant polycystic kidney disease--multicentre study].

INTRODUCTION: Adult polycystic kidney disease (APKD) is the most common hereditary kidney disease in humans. The course of the disease is accompanied by numerous complications. OBJECTIVE The aim was to assess the prevalence, clinical course and outcome of adult dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) patients on renal replacement therapy. METHOD: Medical data on 700 haemodialyzed (HD) and 500 transplanted patients treated in 10 Serbian centres from 1996 to 2000 were retrospectively analyzed. While ADPKD patients accounted for 13% of HD patients in Serbia in 2000, in the period between 1996 and 2000, the percent of patients with ADPKD in the population of patients starting HD in 8 examined centres changed from 13.5% to 6.9%. RESULTS: The total number of 180 ADPKD patients on HD was analyzed (96 males; aged 55 years at HD onset). Their HD lasted between 1 and 22 years: males started HD 1.3 years earlier and spent on HD 1.1 years less than females. In 53% of HD patients one or more family members had ADPKD but the cause of death was unknown for many family members. Hypertension was present in 75% of ADPKD patients, anaemia in 37% and other organ involvement (usually liver) was found in 53 patients. Fifty patients experienced AV fistula thrombosis and a vascular prosthesis had to be used in 9 of them. A hundred and two HD patients died (aged between 38 and 78 years, on HD for 5.3 years). The causes of death were stroke (19.6%), cardiovascular diseases (29%), infections, while 5% of patients died with the picture of acute abdomen. Among 500 transplanted patients, there were 20 patients with ADPKD (11 males, ages between 35 and 56 years at the time of transplantation) and 14 of them received graft from cadaver donor. Uni- or bilateral nephrectomy was done in 4 patients in the pretransplant preparation, and in another two early after transplantation due to urinary infection. Three patients restarted HD in the first 3 months after transplantation due to acute tubular necrosis and 10 patients died 56.5 months after the transplantation. The known causes of death were cardiovascular disease (3 patients), severe gastrointestinal bleeding (2 patients), infection (2 patients) and cancer (2 patients). CONCLUSION: The obtained results showed that it was possible to provide a favourable outcome of patients with APBB on renal replacement therapy in spite of numerous complications.

[Comparative study of the efficacy of different regimens of intermittent subcutaneous dosing of erythropoietin beta in treatment of renal anemia in chronic dialysis patients].

INTRODUCTION: The use of erythropoietin (EPO) in the treatment of renal anemia is justified by more than 15 years of experience. Clinical trials have shown that subcutaneous erythropoietin beta (Recormon - F. Hoffmann-La Roche) therapy once weekly, or even once every two weeks has proven successful. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of different regimes of Recormon therapy in maintaining stable levels of hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HCT) in hemodialysis patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An open, comparative, multicenter study was divided into three arms of patients and lasted for 24 weeks. 98 patients with stable Hb level (>100 g/l), were treated with a stable dose of Recormon, and had a ferritin level > 200 microg/l and transferrin saturation >20%. During the first 8 weeks all were on the usual 2-3 times weekly epo dosage. 8 weeks later, 70 patients received epo once weekly, while 28 patients (group 1) maintained the same regimen for the entire study period. After another 8 weeks, 21 of those 70 patients receiving epo once weekly, received it once every two weeks (group 3), while 49 patients continued once weekly regimen to the end of the trial (group 2). The primary efficacy parameter was the percentage of patients maintaining their target Hb and HCT levels (>100 g/l and >30% for HB and HCT respectively). RESULTS: 86 patients (87.75%) completed the study (25 from group 1, 42 from group 2 and 19 from group 3). One patient was excluded because he was transplated during the study, one due to uncontrolled hypertension, while 10 patients, all from the same center, were excluded due to protocol violation (4-week gap in epo therapy due to problems with epo supply). Efficacy analysis included per-protocol population (86 patients). Hb levels remained stable (>100 g/l) in all three groups. Although there were statistically significant differences in Hb levels between visits (p=0,026), there were no statistically significant differences between groups throughout the study (p=0,439). HCT levels remained stable (>30%) in all three groups throughout the study, without statistically significant differences between visits (p=0,053) and between groups (p=0,155). The average epo doses were not statistically significantly different between visits (p=0,676) or between groups (p=0,512). The main tolerability parameters: sitting systolic (SSBP) and diastolic (SDBP) blood pressures were monitored at all visits. Statistical analysis showed that there were no differences in SSBP or SDBP between visits or groups of patients throughout the study. CONCLUSION: All three dosing regimens of subcutaneous epo beta were statistically equivalent in maintaining target Hb and HCT levels. Once weekly or once every two weeks administration of epo beta does not lead to dose increase, and provides greater opportunities to individualize treatment for every single patient and may lead to better compliance.

An improvement in the outcome of acute renal failure.

BACKGROUND: Acute renal failure (ARF) requiring hemodialysis (HD) treatment is related to high mortality. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of age, disease severity, and catabolism intensity on ARF outcome in patients requiring HD treatment during a 15-year period (1987-2001). METHODS: The retrospective, single-center study included 583 patients, 428 male, 155 female, age 49+/-15 years, treated by intermittent HD using cuprophane membranes with surface area of 1.3 m2. Liano's Acute Tubular Necrosis Individual Severity Score (ATNISS) score and Hypercatabolism Depuration Score (HDS) score were calculated to estimate disease severity and catabolism intensity in ARF patients. RESULTS: Average age of patients significantly increased during the 15-year period for more than one decade (44 to 55 years; p=0.0359), especially during the last five-year period (47+/-14.5 vs. 53+/-14.7, p=0.00015). Disease severity showed significant increase comparing periods 1992-1996 and 1997-2001 (ATNISS 0.385+/-0.197 vs. 0.437+/-0.208; p=0.00137), while catabolism intensity during these periods was similar (HDS 0.569+/-0.145 vs. 0.582+/-0.127; p=0.357). Despite the older and more severely ill population of ARF patients, mortality showed a sustained decrease during the 15-year period. Mortality in the period from 1987 to 1991 (49/83; 59%) was similar with the period 1992-1996 (chi2=0.44, p=0.5081), but significantly higher than in the period 1997-2001 (114/250; 45.6%; chi2=3.98, p = 0.0471). CONCLUSION: The results showed an improvement in the outcome of patients with ARF requiring HD treatment, despite increasing age, disease severity, and use of bioincompatible membranes.

["Flash" pulmonary edema as a clinical manifestation of renovascular hypertension]. / "Flash" edem pluca kao klinicka manifestacija renovaskularne hipertenzije.

One of the clinical manifestations of renovascular hypertension (RVH) may be a recurrent pulmonary oedema both in the absence or in the presence of systolic left ventricular dysfunction. This type of pulmonary oedema characterized as "flash" pulmonary oedema is ascribed to elevated angiotensin II concentrations with consequent hypertension as well as to volume overload resulting from decreased pressor natriuresis when there are significant stenoses of both or one renal arteries. The investigation included 30 patients with RVH treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the stenosed renal artery (PTRA) and/or stent implantation (PTR-ST) and 30 patients with surgical resection of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The first group was divided in two subgroups according to the etiology of renal artery stenosis (RAS). In the subgroup with fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) the mean age was 37.5 years, in the subgroup with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) 54.8 years and in the group with operated AAA 68.6 years. There were more females than males only in the FMD subgroup (10:3). Two patients of the first group experienced pulmonary oedema, both in the subgroup with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis associated with atherosclerosis of other arteries. Normalization of the blood pressure following PTRA in both and an uncomplicated course after a surgical myocardial revascularization in one of them illustrates the importance of renal revascularization. Pulmonary oedema occurred preoperatively in four out of 30 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm in whom significant renal artery stenoses coexisted. Two patients died despite surgery, one patient is clinically stable and the medicament treatment of heart failure is inevitable in the fourth with a left ventricular aneurysm following myocardial infarction. The occurrence or recurrence of pulmonary oedema in the absence of other explanation should suggest the possibility of bilateral or unilateral renal artery stenosis requiring renal revascularization for blood pressure regulation as well as for elimination of other manifestations/complications.