Electronic Medication Record Accuracy in Haemodialysis Outpatient Settings.

Aims Irish haemodialysis (HD) units operate the electronic Kidney Disease Clinical Patient Management System (KDCPMS). KDCMPS is not always used as the primary electronic patient record. At this study setting, KDCPMS information accuracy has not been examined to date. This study aims to identify, characterise and quantify medication discrepancies within KDCPMS records of HD outpatients. Methods Prospective, observational study conducted on the HD unit of Tallaght University Hospital. Medicine reconciliation was conducted to identify KDCPMS discrepancies with medication review to document Drug Related Problems (DRPs). Clinical pharmacists issued recommendations to resolve DRPs. Results All KDCPMS records examined contained intentional and unintentional discrepancies (n=36). Unintentional discrepancies corresponding to 8.8 discrepancies per patient (5.13SD) was observed. One-hundred-and-forty-three DRPs were identified in 34 patients (94.4%). Sixty-five per cent (65%) of pharmacist recommendations were accepted (n=93), 22.4% rejected (n=32), 8.4% (n=12) referred to the renal multidisciplinary team (MDT) and 4.2% not actioned (n=6). Conclusion KDCPMS contains inaccuracies potentially leading to systemic error. Robust clinical governance supported by national policy is required to support KDCPMS as the primary platform for renal patients. Enhanced pharmaceutical care by specialist clinical pharmacists should be supported within national models of care for chronic disease management to improve patient outcomes.

The Perception of Art among Patients and Staff on a Renal Dialysis Unit.

This study investigated the purpose and effectiveness of giving outpatients an opportunity to engage in art activities while receiving dialysis treatment. A mixed method study was conducted. 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with outpatients attending the dialysis unit and 13 surveys of clinicians were completed. The principle reasons to partake in the art activity programme included: to pass time, to relieve boredom, to be creative, to try something new, distraction from concerns, to stay positive and to achieve something new. Patients who did not participate in the programme pass their time primarily by watching TV or sleeping. All staff who partook in the survey were satisfied with the programme and wanted it to continue. Our findings indicate that the creative arts programme is viewed positively by staff and patients alike, and might be useful in other hospital departments. Further in depth qualitative research would be useful to interrogate the potential effect of engagement in art on positive mental health and quality of life for patients with chronic conditions.

Cinacalcet reduces plasma intact parathyroid hormone, serum phosphate and calcium levels in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism irrespective of its severity.

AIMS: To evaluate the relationship between the severity of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) - defined in terms of baseline plasma intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level - and the magnitude of response to cinacalcet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this post hoc analysis, data were pooled from three randomized, placebo-controlled trials in which dialysis patients with iPTH ≥ 300 pg/ml were dose-titrated with cinacalcet or placebo in addition to conventional treatment to achieve iPTH ≤ 250 pg/ml. In 953 patients analyzed (cinacalcet, 545; placebo, 408), baseline iPTH levels were categorized in 100 pg/ml intervals (300 - ≥ 1,000 pg/ml), and the impact of baseline iPTH on changes in iPTH, phosphate (P), calcium (Ca) and calcium- phosphate product (Ca × P) was evaluated. RESULTS: Cinacalcet reduced iPTH (47% reduction), P (9%), Ca (7%), and Ca × P (15%) across all subgroups. For patients receiving cinacalcet, the mean percentage reduction from baseline in iPTH varied from 35 to 55%, being consistently decreased across the severity subgroups. The mean absolute change in iPTH was more pronounced in patients with higher baseline iPTH levels, particularly in the ≥ 1,000 pg/ml subgroup vs. the other subgroups. However, as baseline iPTH levels increased, iPTH ≤ 250 pg/ml was achieved in fewer patients. A trend towards greater absolute change from baseline was observed for P in patients with more severe disease (iPTH ≥ 800 pg/ml) treated with cinacalcet compared with patients with less severe disease (iPTH 300 - < 800 pg/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Cinacalcet lowers plasma iPTH and serum P, Ca and Ca × P levels in dialysis patients with SHPT, regardless of disease severity. Patients with more severe disease experienced greater reductions in PTH and P, but fewer achieved iPTH ≤ 250 pg/ml by the efficacy assessment phase. Use of cinacalcet when baseline PTH is lower may result in more stable control of SHPT and help to control bone and mineral alterations.

An unusual case of cancer of the urachal remnant following repair of bladder exstrophy.

INTRODUCTION: We report the first case of cancer of the urachal remnant following repair of bladder exstrophy, in a renal transplant recipient. METHOD: A retrospective review of this clinical case and the associated literature were performed. CONCLUSION: This unusual case highlights two very rare entities. Bladder exstrophy has an incidence of 1 in 50,000 newborns, whereas urachal cancer accounts for less than 1% of all bladder tumours.

Leptospirosis in the South-Eastern Health Board region of the Republic of Ireland: 1990 to 1996.

The South-Eastern Health Board (SEHB) has the highest annual incidence of leptospirosis in the Republic of Ireland (12.3/million according to hospital inpatient enquiry data; 10.4/million by serology). Discharge diagnosis correlates strongly with numbers of cattle, but not of other livestock, which may indicate a true association with leptospirosis or may reflect an increased clinical suspicion in areas where livestock are prevalent.

Leptospirosis in the Republic of Ireland: 1985 to 1996.

Official government statistics and serological laboratory data provide limited information about the incidence of leptospirosis in the Republic of Ireland. The mean annual notified incidence in the Republic of Ireland from 1985 to 1996 was 1.3/million. The incidence according to hospital discharge diagnosis was higher at 4.9/million. One hundred and seventy-five serologically confirmed cases of leptospirosis were reported from 1986 to 1996, giving a mean annual incidence of 4.5/million. The true incidence of leptospirosis in the Republic of Ireland is probably higher, as hospital discharge data are incomplete and full serological testing was not always performed. Our data indicate that leptospirosis is an underestimated public health problem with only 26% of cases being notified. A national communicable disease surveillance centre in the Republic of Ireland would facilitate better monitoring and understanding of this disease.

Urinary protein excretion and the diagnosis of graft rejection or renal dysfunction in renal transplant patients.

Urinary proteins have been found to be a sensitive marker of renal damage caused by nephrotoxic agents. An electrophoretic method was used to investigate the potential value of the pattern of urinary protein excretion in 14 cyclosporin-treated renal transplant patients, to differentiate between graft rejection episodes and other causes of renal dysfunction. Urinary protein excretion consistent with renal damage was observed in all of the patients studied, with no marked differences between those with signs of graft rejection, those with renal dysfunction, or those with stable renal function.

Partial correction of dialysis-associated anaemia does not reduce erythropoietin dose or the incidence of side effects.

We examined the hypothesis that administering epoetin to maintain a lower target haemoglobin (Hb) results in a reduced side effect profile and a lower maintenance epoetin dose. We report a prospective study of 14 haemodialysis patients assessing epoetin dose efficiency and side effect profile of partially correcting dialysis-associated anaemia. Initial Hb was 6.2 +/- 0.6 g/dl (mean +/- 1 SD). Intravenous epoetin was commenced at 120 IU/kg/week in 3 divided doses and titrated to achieve a target Hb of 8 g/dl. Follow-up was 24 weeks. The final Hb was 8.7 +/- 0.8 g/dl. The peak epoetin dose was 196 +/- 86 IU/kg/week with a maintenance dose of 141 +/- 71 IU/kg/week. Therapy was associated with hypertension--5 patients (32%); seizures--1 patient (6%) (withdrawn from therapy), and temporary iron deficiency--4 patients (35%). Iron deficiency was corrected with oral therapy. There was 1 treatment failure. Comparable conventional regimens use 100-200 IU/kg to maintain the Hb at 10-13 g/dl and have a similar incidence of side effects. We concluded that reducing the target Hb in order to decrease epoetin requirements is not justified as it offers no benefit over conventional Hb targets in terms of dose requirements or side effects.

Peritoneal dialysis catheters: a comparison between percutaneous and conventional surgical placement techniques.

Percutaneous peritoneal dialysis catheter (PDC) placement is a well-tolerated, rapidly performed side-room procedure that allows the rapid initiation of dialysis without the delay imposed in co-ordinating a surgeon, theatre time, and theatre staff. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical outcome of 230 PDC inserted over a 30-month period. Fifty were placed percutaneously (group P) and 180 were placed using conventional surgical techniques, 107 in patients commencing CAPD (group A) and 73 in patients commencing CAPD (group A) and 73 in patients previously established on CAPD (group B). Total experience accumulated was 2563 patient months: 270 patient months group P, 1381 patient months group A, 912 patient months group B. Percutaneous PDC insertion was non-elective, and reserved for patients unfit for general anaesthesia or haemodialysis. Group P patients were older (P < 0.001) and had increased early mortality (P < 0.005) due to underlying pathology. Death and early mechanical failure contributed to a shorter mean duration of catheter use in group P (9.0 +/- 2.3 months compared to 15.3 +/- 9.6 months group A and 17.3 +/- 9.7 group B) (P < 0.05). The peritonitis rate was similar in group P (1 per 6.75 patient months) and group B (1 per 7.4 patient months) but significantly lower in group A (1 per 15.7 patient months) (P < 0.01). We conclude that percutaneous PDC placement provides a safe, reliable access for peritoneal dialysis and is especially suitable for ill patients who would not tolerate general anaesthesia.

NMR spectroscopy as a novel approach to the monitoring of renal transplant function.

High field 1H NMR spectroscopy was used for the rapid multicomponent analysis of low molecular wt compounds in urine in order to investigate the patterns of metabolic changes associated with early renal allograft dysfunction. Urine samples were collected daily for 14 days from 33 patients who underwent primary renal allograft transplantation, and analyzed by 500 and/or 600 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy. All patients received 20 mg prednisolone and 5 mg/kg b.d. oral cyclosporin A (CsA) solution. In this study no patient showed clinical or histopathological evidence of CsA nephrotoxicity. For each patient the NMR-generated metabolite data were correlated with the clinical observations, graft biopsy pathology, and data from conventional laboratory techniques for assessing renal function. The NMR spectra of urine from patients with immediate functioning grafts were similar with respect to their patterns of amino acids, organic acids and organic amines, whereas the patients with delayed or non-functioning grafts showed significantly different metabolite excretion patterns. In longitudinal studies on individual patients there were increased urinary levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), dimethylamine (DMA), lactate, acetate, succinate, glycine and alanine during episodes of graft dysfunction. However, only the urinary concentration of TMAO was statistically significantly higher (P < 0.025) in the urine collected from patients during episodes of graft dysfunction (410 +/- 102 microM TMAO/mM creatinine) than in patients with good graft function (91 +/- 18 microM TMAO/mM creatinine) or healthy control subjects (100 +/- 50 microM TMAO/mM creatinine). These findings suggest that graft dysfunction is associated with damage to the renal medulla which causes the release of TMAO into the urine from the damaged renal medullary cells. This provides a possible novel urinary marker for post-transplant graft dysfunction. This study shows that NMR spectroscopy of biofluids, when used in combination with conventional laboratory techniques, is a valuable aid to renal transplant monitoring.