[Spinal cord injury in patients over 65 years of age]. / Lesión medular en pacientes mayores de 65 años.

INTRODUCTION: Physically active population over 65 years old is increasing, they are at risk of falls and spinal cord injury in a range of age with significant presence of chronic pathology. AIM: To review the incidence, type of injury, associated complications and functional recovey of spinal cord injury in patients over 65 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective descriptive study about patients over 65 years admitted in Hospital Nacional de Paraplejicos with spinal cord injury from January 2010 to December 2011. Demographic and lesion data, complications during admission and fuctional recovery measured with SCIM III (Spinal Cord Independence Measure) and WISCI II scales (Walking Index Spinal Cord Injury) were reviewed. RESULTS: 111 patients were included, mean age was 72.5 years, 33.3% were cervical injury and 66.7% were incomplete injuries, medical disease was more frequent than traumatic disease. Only 5% did not present other associated diseases. Up to 97% suffered some complications. SCIM III average was 42 points and only 35% got walking function. CONCLUSIONS: There has been an increase in aging spinal cord injury patients in recent years. Unlike general population traumatic etiology is not more frequent than medical. Incomplete injuries are common and usually associated with more comorbility, getting poorer functional recovery despite neurological improvement.

TITLE: Lesion medular en pacientes mayores de 65 años.Introduccion. La poblacion de mayores de 65 años activos fisicamente continua en aumento, lo que condiciona un mayor riesgo de caidas y de lesion medular en un rango de edad con importante presencia de patologia cronica. Objetivo. Revisar la incidencia, el tipo de lesion, las complicaciones asociadas y los resultados funcionales de las lesiones medulares ocurridas en pacientes mayores de 65 años. Pacientes y metodos. Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo en lesionados medulares agudos mayores de 65 años ingresados en el Hospital Nacional de Paraplejicos desde enero de 2010 hasta diciembre de 2011. Las variables del estudio fueron datos demograficos y de lesion, antecedentes personales, complicaciones ocurridas durante el ingreso y capacidad funcional al alta medida con las escalas Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III) y Walking Index Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI). Resultados. Se incluyeron 111 individuos con una media de edad de 72,5 años. La incidencia anual fue de 17,3 pacientes/100 ingresos. El 33,3% eran lesiones cervicales y fueron incompletas el 66,7%. La etiologia medica fue mas frecuente que la traumatica. El 5% no presentaba otras enfermedades intercurrentes. El 97% sufrio algun tipo de complicacion. La media alcanzada para la SCIM III fue de 42 puntos y el 35% consiguio capacidad de marcha. Conclusiones. En los ultimos años se ha producido un aumento de lesion medular en mayores de 65 años, en los que la etiologia traumatica no es superior a la medica; mas frecuentemente son lesiones incompletas que asocian mayor comorbilidad que la poblacion general, y se consiguen resultados funcionales mas pobres a pesar de las mejoras neurologicas.

Quality assurance in peritoneal dialysis.

The present article reviews current treatment targets for peritoneal dialysis (PD) and the various methods for evaluating adequacy with time on PD.

The Euro-Balance Trial: the effect of a new biocompatible peritoneal dialysis fluid (balance) on the peritoneal membrane.

BACKGROUND: Although peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a widely accepted form of renal replacement therapy (RRT), concerns remain regarding the bioincompatible nature of standard PD fluid. In order to evaluate whether a newly formulated fluid of neutral pH, and containing low levels of glucose degradation products (GDP), resulted in improved in vivo biocompatibility, it was compared in a clinical study to a standard PD fluid. METHODS: In a multicenter, open, randomized, prospective study with a crossover design and parallel arms, a conventional, acidic, lactate-buffered fluid (SPDF) was compared with a pH neutral, lactate-buffered, low GDP fluid (balance). Overnight effluent was collected and assayed for cancer antigen 125 (CA125), hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen peptide (PICP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). Serum samples were assayed for circulating advanced glycosylation end products (AGE), N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), and imidazolone. Clinical end points were residual renal function (RRF), adequacy of dialysis, ultrafiltration, and peritoneal membrane function. Eighty-six patients were randomized to either group I starting with SPDF for 12 weeks (Phase I), then switching to "balance" for 12 weeks (Phase II), or group II, which was treated vice versa. Seventy-one patients completed the study with data suitable for entry into the per protocol analysis. Effluent and serum samples, together with peritoneal function tests and adequacy measurements, were undertaken at study centers on three occasions during the study: after the four-week run-in period, after Phase I, and again after Phase II. RESULTS: In patients treated with balance there were significantly higher effluent levels of CA125 and PICP in both arms of the study. Conversely, levels of HA were lower in patients exposed to balance, while there was no change in the levels of either VEGF or TNFalpha. Serum CML and imidazolone levels fell significantly in balance-treated patients. Renal urea and creatinine clearances were higher in both treatment arms after patients were exposed to balance. Urine volume was higher in patients exposed to balance. In contrast, peritoneal ultrafiltration was higher in patients on SPDF. When anuric patients were analyzed as a subgroup, there was no significant difference in peritoneal transport characteristics or in ultrafiltration on either fluid. There were no changes in peritonitis incidence on either solution. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the use of balance, a neutral pH, low GDP fluid, is accompanied by a significant improvement in effluent markers of peritoneal membrane integrity and significantly decreased circulating AGE levels. Clinical parameters suggest an improvement in residual renal function on balance, with an accompanying decrease in peritoneal ultrafiltration. It would appear that balance solution results in an improvement in local peritoneal homeostasis, as well as having a positive impact on systemic parameters, including circulating AGE and residual renal function.

Peritoneal dialysis with solutions low in glucose degradation products is associated with improved biocompatibility profile towards peritoneal mesothelial cells.

BACKGROUND: In vitro experiments point to a better biocompatibility profile of new pH-neutral peritoneal dialysis fluids (PDFs) containing low levels of glucose degradation products (GDPs). The present study examines the impact on human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) of equilibrated dialysates obtained during dialysis with either conventional or new PDFs. METHODS: Peritoneal dialysate was collected from 17 patients participating in a randomized, controlled, cross-over trial comparing a pH-neutral low-GDP solution (Balance) to a conventional solution (S-PDF). All patients were treated sequentially for 3 months with both PDFs. At the end of each treatment phase, peritoneal effluent was drained after a timed 10 h dwell. Samples of dialysate were then mixed with standard culture medium and added to in vitro cultures of HPMCs from healthy donors. Cells were assessed for proliferation, viability and cytokine release. RESULTS: Proliferation and viability of HPMCs were better preserved in the presence of effluent obtained during dialysis with Balance (P<0.046 and P<0.035, respectively). The proliferative response of HPMCs correlated with the concentration of fibronectin in dialysates (P = 0.0024). Effluent drained following a 3 month dialysis with Balance contained significantly increased levels of fibronectin (P = 0.004) and CA125 antigen (P = 0.0004) compared with S-PDF. There was no significant difference in constitutive and stimulated cytokine (IL-6, MCP-1, VEGF) synthesis by HPMCs treated with either Balance- or S-PDF-derived effluents. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that therapy with new pH-neutral low-GDP solutions contribute to an intraperitoneal milieu that improves mesothelial cell proliferation and viability. It may positively impact on the preservation of the peritoneal membrane integrity during long-term dialysis.