Renal denervation in patients with end-stage renal disease and resistant hypertension on long-term haemodialysis.

INTRODUCTION: Recent randomized controlled trials have confirmed the ability of renal denervation to lower blood pressure (BP) in patients, resistant to the BP-lowering effect of multiple antihypertensive drug administration. Evidence is limited, however, in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and haemodialysis, a condition in which a persistent BP elevation, despite administration of many antihypertensive drugs, is common. Aim of the present study was to test the BP-lowering efficacy of renal denervation in patients with resistant hypertension and ESRD on haemodialysis. BP was measured repeatedly in the office and over the 24 h during 1-year follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study was conducted from February 2017 to January 2018 at the Policlinico of Monza, Monza, Italy. We included 24 men and women aged at least 20 years (mean 55 ±â€Š16) who had ESRD, were on long-term haemodialysis and exhibited resistant hypertension, that is, elevated office and ambulatory BP values, despite multidrug antihypertensive treatment (n = 5.4 ±â€Š1). We excluded patients with renal artery stenosis, malignancy, and a probable life expectancy less than 1 year. Twelve patients were included in the renal denervation and 12 in the medical treatment (control) group. All patients underwent office and 24 h ambulatory BP measurements at baseline and at 1, 6 and 12 months during the follow-up. In the renal denervation group, baseline office and 24 h mean SBP were 180 ±â€Š112 and 175 ±â€Š11 mmHg, respectively, the corresponding values in the control group being 181 ±â€Š19 and 181 ±â€Š20 mmHg. Most of the other baseline characteristics were also similar or only slightly different between groups, including the mean number of administered antihypertensive drugs at baseline. SBP showed an early and persistent reduction after renal denervation (office SBP: 165 ±â€Š13; 150 ±â€Š7 and 149 ±â€Š11mmHg; 24 h SBP 163 ±â€Š20, 148 ±â€Š10 and 149 ±â€Š17 mmHg after 1, 6 and 12 months, respectively). The BP-lowering effect was almost always present and statistically significant during both the day and night. DBP changes followed a similar pattern whereas heart rate never showed any significant change. No significant periprocedural complication of renal denervation was seen. The mean number of administered drugs did not show any significant BP change during the study. CONCLUSION: In ESRD patients under long-term haemodialysis in whom BP was markedly elevated despite administration of many antihypertensive drugs, renal denervation lowered both ambulatory and office BP. The reduction persisted over a 1-year follow-up.

Home peritoneal ultrafiltration in patients with severe congestive heart failure without end-stage renal disease.

Congestive heart failure (CHF), mainly because of ischemic heart disease, is becoming a common medical problem. As CHF worsens and reaches New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV, many patients can become refractory to medical therapy, especially those who are elderly or who have pre-existing non uremic chronic renal failure. For such patients, quality of life, morbidity, and mortality are expected to be bad. Our objective in the present study was to make a preliminary assessment of the usefulness of icodextrin administered in a single nocturnal peritoneal exchange to patients nonrespondent to the maximal conventional medical therapy. We studied two patients (aged 80 and 87 years), who were affected by severe dilatative cardiomyopathy and moderate-to-severe chronic renal failure. After at least 12 months of treatment, we observed a significant improvement in quality of life and a reduction in morbidity and hospitalization in both patients. Both patients also significantly increased their creatinine clearance. One patient maintained ejection fraction stability (22%-->27%); the other experienced an increase in ejection fraction to 50%from 25%. These preliminary observations suggest that a single nocturnal exchange with icodextrin can be an effective treatment in patients affected by refractory CHF and moderate-to-severe chronic renal failure.

Morpho-functional study of peritoneum in peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Structure and function of the peritoneal membrane (PM) are impaired on peritoneal dialysis (PD). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between dialytic parameters and histological and functional characteristics of the peritoneum of PD patients. METHODS: A peritoneal biopsy (PB) was performed on 31 PD patients during catheter removal due to malfunction or after drop-out from treatment. PB was performed at least 5 cm from the catheter insertion. For each patient PM transport was evaluated by the last peritoneal equilibration test (PET) before PB. Each daily glucose load was calculated. Tissue was formalin-embedded and stained for histological and immunohistochemical studies. RESULTS: (1) Duration of treatment was longer in patients with mesothelial impairment. (2) Patients showing sub-mesothelial sclerosis (SS) and those with impairment of submesothelial basement membrane and subendothelial vascular membrane (SVM) were submitted to a larger daily glucose load. (3) SS exceeding 50 mm was more frequent among high transporters, who were exposed to larger daily glucose load compared to medium-high transporters. (4) Mesothelial loss correlated to SS and vascular alterations. (5) SS was related to vascular injuries but not to inflammatory infiltrate. CONCLUSIONS: SS is not constant in PD patients and is not a prominent factor in treatment drop-out. Mesothelial impairment seems to be mainly related to duration of PD treatment. Glucose load seems to mainly damage the sub-mesothelial layer.