Accelerometer-derived physical activity and sedentary time and cardiac biomarkers: The Maastricht Study.

Background: Cardiac troponins and NT-proBNP are biomarkers of cardiac injury that are used clinically in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction and heart failure. It is not known whether the amount, types and patterns of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour are associated with levels of cardiac biomarkers. Methods: In the population-based Maastricht Study (n = 2,370, 51.3% male, 28.3% T2D) we determined cardiac biomarkers hs-cTnI, hs-cTnT, and NT-proBNP. PA and sedentary time were measured by activPAL and divided into quartiles [quartile 1 (Q1) served as reference]. The weekly pattern of moderate-to-vigorous PA (insufficiently active; regularly actives; weekend warriors) and coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated. Linear regression analyses were conducted with adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and cardiovascular risk factors. Results: There was no consistent pattern between physical activity (different intensities: total, light, moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous) and sedentary time on the one hand and hs-cTnI and hs-cTnT on the other. Those with the highest levels of vigorous intensity PA had significantly lower levels of NT-proBNP. With regard to PA patterns, weekend warriors and regularly actives had lower levels of NT-proBNP but not with hs-cTnI and hs-cTnT (reference:insufficiently actives). A higher weekly moderate-to-vigorous PA CV (indicating more irregular activity) was associated with lower levels of hs-cTnI and higher levels of NT-proBNP, but not with hs-cTnT. Conclusions: In general, there was no consistent association between PA and sedentary time and cardiac troponins. In contrast, vigorous and possibly moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA, especially if done regularly, were associated with lower levels of NT-proBNP.

Conservative care as a treatment option for patients aged 75 years and older with CKD stage V: a National survey in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Conservative care for patients aged 75 years and older with CKD stage 5 as a treatment option besides dialysis was proposed officially in the Netherlands in October 2016. This national survey showed the current implementation of this option in Netherlands nephrology departments. DESIGN SETTING PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENT: A web-based survey was sent to medical managers of 60 nephrology departments in the Netherlands in August 2016. RESULTS: Twenty-one medical managers (35%) completed the survey. The term "conservative care" is frequently used and well known. The estimated number of patients in whom the decision for maximal conservative care was made in 2015 was 310 of 2249 patients with CKD stage 5 age 75 years and older (range 5-50 patients per department). 164 patients became symptomatic and received no dialysis. There is no official registration for this treatment option and patient category. The practice patterns vary widely. Only one of 21 respondents reported a conservative care outpatient clinic. Formal training or education regarding conservative care is not available in most of departments. 95% of respondents discussed this treatment option with their patients. General practitioners are always being informed about their patient's decision. Their main role is providing or organizing palliative care support at the end of life and discussing advance care planning. Most respondents (86%) considered to include their patients in a prospective multicentre observational study, conservative care versus dialysis. CONCLUSIONS: Conservative care as a treatment option for patients with CKD stage 5 aged 75 years and older is well established. The practice patterns are varied in the Netherlands. Follow-up studies are needed to see whether the new multidisciplinary guideline facilitates harmonization of practice pattern. Funding is needed to optimize the implementation of conservative care.

Unraveling the relationship between mortality, hyponatremia, inflammation and malnutrition in hemodialysis patients: results from the international MONDO initiative.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Hyponatremia is a risk factor for mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. It is not well known to which extent the comorbidities, malnutrition, fluid status imbalance and inflammation are related to hyponatremia and affect outcomes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We studied 8883 patients from the European subset of the international MONitoring Dialysis Outcomes initiative. Nutritional and fluid statuses were assessed by bioimpedance spectroscopy. Fluid depletion was defined as overhydration⩽-1.1 l and fluid overload as overhydration>+1.1 l, respectively. Malnutrition was defined as a lean tissue index below the 10th percentile of age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Hyponatremia and inflammation were defined as serum sodium levels <135 mEq/l and C-reactive protein levels>6.0 mg/l, respectively. We used logistic regression to test for predictors of hyponatremia and Cox proportional hazards analysis to assess the association with all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Hyponatremia was predicted by the presence of malnutrition (odds ratio (OR)=1.49 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.30-1.70), inflammation (OR=1.44 (95% CI=1.26-1.64)) and fluid overload ((>+1.1 l to +2.5 l) OR=0.73 (95% CI=0.62-0.85)) but not by fluid depletion (OR=1.34 (95% CI=0.92-1.96)). Malnutrition, inflammation, fluid overload, fluid depletion and hyponatremia (hazard ratio=1.70 (95% CI=1.46-1.99)) were independent predictors for all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In HD patients, hyponatremia is associated with malnutrition, inflammation and fluid overload. Hyponatremia maintained predictive for all-cause mortality after adjustment for malnutrition, inflammation and fluid status abnormalities. The presence of hyponatremia may assist in identifying HD patients at increased risk of death.

Association between pre hemodialysis serum sodium concentration and blood pressure: results from a retrospective analysis from the international monitoring dialysis outcomes (MONDO) initiative.

A recent study from the United Kingdom indicates an association between pre hemodialysis (HD) serum sodium (SNa(+)) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) in chronic HD patients. We extend this analysis to an international cohort of incident HD patients. The Monitoring Dialysis Outcomes initiative encompasses patients from 41 countries. Over 2 years monthly pre-HD SNa(+) levels were used as predictors of pre-HD SBP and DBP in a linear mixed model (LMM) adjusted for age, gender, interdialytic weight gain, diabetes, serum albumin and calcium. Similar models were constructed with DBP as outcome. Analyses were carried out stratified by continent (North and South America; Europe and Asia). LMMs were also constructed for the entire observation period of 2 years, and separately the first and the second year after HD initiation. We studied 17 050 incident patients and found SNa(+) to have a significant slope estimate in the LMM predicting pre-HD SBP and DBP (ranging from 0.22 to 0.29 and 0.10 to 0.21 mm Hg per mEq l(-1), respectively, between the continents). The findings were similar in subsets of SBP and SNa(+) tertiles, and separately analyzed for the first and second year. Our analysis shows an independent association between SNa, SBP and DBP in a large intercontinental database, indicating that this relation is a profound biological phenomenon in incident and prevalent HD patients, generalizable to an international level and independent of SBP and DBP magnitude.

Development of novel membranes for blood purification therapies based on copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone and n-butylmethacrylate.

Developments in membrane based blood purification therapies often come with longer treatment times and therefore longer blood-material contact, which requires long-term membrane biocompatibility. In this study, we develop for the first time membranes for blood purification using the material SlipSkin™, which is a copolymer, made from N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) and butylmethacrylate (BMA). Specific attention is focused on understanding the mechanism of pore formation and the tailoring of the membrane mechanical and transport properties to obtain the optimal membrane for blood purification therapies. Polymer composition, solvent type and solvent evaporation time influence membrane morphology and membranes with sieving properties of cascade filters in plasma fractionation applications are developed. The new membranes have very good blood compatibility properties; in fact compared to benchmark flat membranes currently used in the clinic, they have lower platelet adhesion while all other properties (contact activation, thrombogenicity, leukocyte adhesion, hemolysis and complement activation) are also very good and comparable to the benchmarks.

Peritoneal dialysis in patients with heart failure.

Both in dialysis patients and non-uremic patients heart failure is associated with an adverse prognosis. In a state of abrupt worsening of cardiac function, acute cardiogenic shock or decompensated congestive heart failure, acute kidney injury may occur, whereas in a more chronic worsening of cardiac function chronic kidney injury may occur. Recently, the term cardiorenal syndrome was adopted and defined as "a pathophysiological disorder of the heart and kidneys whereby acute or chronic dysfunction in one organ may induce acute or chronic dysfunction in the other organ". Despite better treatment techniques and the continuous development of new medications volume overload in patients with cardiorenal syndrome is difficult to treat. Especially treatment of cardiorenal syndrome type I and II is notoriously difficult. Peritoneal dialysis might be, because of the gradual fluid removal, a therapeutic option in these patients. However, data on the effect of peritoneal dialysis in patients with heart failure with fluid overload and/or renal impairment are scarce. In this review, the role of peritoneal dialysis in the treatment cardiorenal syndrome type I, II and IV will be discussed.

Peritoneal dialysis in patients with primary cardiac failure complicated by renal failure.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Clinical outcome in cardiorenal syndrome type II and treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD). METHODS: Retrospective analysis over a period of 10 years. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients with mean age at start of dialysis of 67 ± 10 years had mean survival on dialysis of 1.03 ± 0.84 years (median survival 1.0 year). The number of hospitalizations for cardiovascular causes were reduced (13.7 ± 26.5 predialysis vs. 3.5 ± 8.8 days/patient/month postdialysis, p = 0.001). Patients who survived longer than the median survival time (n = 12) also had a reduced number of hospitalizations for all causes (3.7 ± 3.8 predialysis vs. 1.4 ± 2.1 days/patient/month postdialysis, p = 0.041), a lower age (62 ± 10 vs. 71 ± 8 years, p = 0.013) and fewer had diabetes (2 vs. 7 patients, p = 0.039), but left ventricular ejection fraction was not different. CONCLUSION: After starting PD for cardiorenal syndrome, hospitalizations for cardiovascular causes were reduced for all patients. Survival after starting PD is highly variable. Age and diabetes seem to be significant prognostic factors, but not left ventricular ejection fraction.

[Chronic renal disease as cardiovascular risk factor]. / Chronische nierziekte als cardiovasculaire risicofactor.

A lowering of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and/or the presence of albuminuria are signs of chronic renal disease. Both variables are for the most part independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Albuminuria is a marker of endothelial dysfunction. A decrease of the GFR is associated with non-traditional risk factors, e.g. renal anaemia, uraemic toxins due to a decrease of the renal clearance, hyperhomocysteinaemia caused by a diminished homocysteine metabolism, excessive activation of the sympathetic nervous system which is related to sleep apnoea syndrome, oxidative stress and dyslipidaemia associated with the formation of vasotoxic, oxidised LDL cholesterol. These non-traditional risk factors may, alone or in combination with traditional atherogenic risk factors (e.g. age, male gender, smoking, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, obesity, positive family history and diabetes mellitus), partially via endothelial dysfunction, result in harmful effects on arterial function, increasing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Different stages of chronic kidney disease are associated with specific risk factors, making a specific therapeutic approach essential.

Accessory veins and radial-cephalic arteriovenous fistula non-maturation: a prospective analysis using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography.

PURPOSE: To determine if large caliber accessory veins are associated with radial-cephalic arteriovenous fistula (RC-AVF) non-maturation. METHODS: RC-AVFs were created in 15 consecutive patients (radial artery and cephalic vein diameter > 2 mm, in the absence of arterial inflow or venous outflow stenoses or occlusions). Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) was performed preoperatively for the determination of vessel diameters, stenoses and occlusions. The location and caliber of accessory veins was determined. Vascular access (VA) function was monitored and all interventions required to obtain a functioning VA were recorded. Non-maturation was defined as a nonfunctional VA at 2 months after creation. The predictive value of accessory vein caliber for prediction of RC-AVF non-maturation was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: Non-maturation occurred in 10 (67%) out of 15 RC-AVFs. Large caliber accessory veins (n = 4), venous stenosis (n = 3) or both (n = 2) were associated with RC-AVF non-maturation. The presence of large caliber accessory veins was the only significant predictor for RC-AVF non-maturation (p = 0.01). Preoperatively detected accessory veins with a diameter > 70% of the cephalic vein diameter, had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 80, 100, 100 and 91% for prediction of RC-AVF non-maturation on patient level. Accessory vein ligation and dilatation of venous stenosis resulted in an overall salvage success rate of 89% (8/9). CONCLUSION: Large caliber accessory veins are associated with RC-AVF non-maturation. Ligation of large caliber accessory veins is a successful salvage procedure in a substantial group of patients. Furthermore, ligation of these accessory veins during initial RC-AVF creation can potentially reduce non-maturation rates; and therefore, preoperative assessment of accessory veins is recommended.

Effect of upper arm brachial basilic and prosthetic forearm arteriovenous fistula on left ventricular hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Creation of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) may increase left ventricular hypertrophy in the hemodialysis population. Aim of this study was to compare the effects of a brachial-basilic (BB) AVF and the prosthetic brachial-antecubital forearm loop access (PTFE) on cardiac performance. METHODS: Patients were randomized to receive BB-AVF or prosthetic brachial-antecubital forearm loop access. Before and three months after AVF creation patients underwent an echocardiographic examination. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare relative increase between the measured cardiac parameters for the two groups. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients participated in the study. The relative increase in left ventricular parameters was not significantly different between the two groups. Only left ventricular end-diastolic diameter tended to be of significance. Mean blood flow through the brachial artery was 1680+/-156 and 1450+/-221 mL/min three months after surgery for the PTFE and the BB-AVF group, respectively. CONCLUSION: After three months of follow-up, changes in cardiac structure were comparable between patients with BB and PTFE AVFs. Also access flow was comparable at this time. In general, the effects of creation of a fistula on LV structure were limited. Longer follow up time may be needed to explore the long term effects of different vascular accesses on cardiac function.

Measurement of hemodialysis vascular access flow using extracorporeal temperature gradients.

A reduction in vascular access flow poses a risk for thrombosis. We present a new technique to measure vascular access flow during dialysis based on extracorporeal temperature gradients, and their changes, on reversing the extracorporeal bloodlines without having to inject an indicator. Fistula temperatures were measured by the blood temperature monitor with normal line position and after manual switching of the bloodlines using the same extracorporeal blood flow. The access flow by our temperature gradient method (TGM) was compared to access flow derived by saline dilution with measurements in the same patients repeated in subsequent weeks. In 70 pairs of TGM and saline dilution measurements in 35 patients, the repeatability of the TGM measurements was not significantly different from that of saline dilution. There was a highly significant correlation between the two techniques with an acceptable confidence level for limits of agreement for the difference between them. It took about 9 min to complete the TGM method and about 5 min for saline dilution. Our studies show that the novel TGM method showed excellent agreement and reproducibility with the saline dilution method without the need for indicator dilution.

Association of serum fetuin-A levels with mortality in dialysis patients.

Calcifying atherosclerosis is an active process, which is controlled by calcification inhibitors and inducers. Fetuin-A, an acute phase glycoprotein, is one of the more powerful circulating inhibitors of hydroxyapatite formation. A prospective multicenter cohort study was initiated to include both hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients in an evaluation of the association of serum fetuin-A levels with both cardiovascular (CV) and non-CV mortality. An increase in the serum fetuin-A concentration of 0.1 g/l was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality of 13%. There was a significant 17% reduction in non-CV mortality and a near significant reduction in CV mortality. This association of fetuin-A and mortality rates was comparable in both HD and PD patients even when corrected for factors, including but not limited to age, gender, primary kidney disease, C-reactive protein levels, and nutritional status. We conclude that serum fetuin-A concentrations may be a general predictor of mortality in dialysis patients.

Adequacy of peritoneal dialysis and the importance of preserving residual renal function.

The well-being and survival of dialysis patients not only depend on the removal of waste products and excess fluid, but also on the prevention of cardiovascular complications by maintaining normovolaemia and adequate blood pressure and avoidance of ectopic calcification. Also, the maintenance of nutritional status and adequate removal of middle molecules are amongst the most important issues in long-term renal replacement therapy. In this review, attention is given to optimal peritoneal small solute clearance and Kt/V and to the evidence concerning the role of residual renal function. In addition, factors that can influence this residual function are also discussed.