A Case of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia under Belatacept and Everolimus: Benefit-Risk Balance between Renal Allograft Function and Infection.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia is an opportunistic disease usually prevented by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. A 49-year-old HLA-sensitized male with successful late conversion from tacrolimus-based to belatacept-based immunosuppression developed P. jirovecii pneumonia for which he presented several risks factors: low lymphocyte count with no CD4+ T cells detected since 2 years, hypogammaglobulinemia, history of acute cellular rejection 3 years before, and immunosuppressive treatment (belatacept, everolimus). Because of respiratory gravity in the acute phase, the patient was given oxygen, corticosteroids, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Thanks to the improvement of respiratory status, and because of the renal impairment, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was converted to atovaquone for 21 days. Indeed, after 1 week on intensive treatment, the benefit-risk balance favored preserving renal function according to respiratory improvement status. P. jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis for the next 6 months was monthly aerosol of pentamidine. Long-term safety studies or early/late conversion to belatacept did not report on P. jirovecii pneumonia. Four other cases of P. jirovecii pneumonia under belatacept therapy were previously described in patients having no P. jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis. Studies on the reintroduction of P. jiroveciipneumonia prophylaxis after conversion to belatacept would be of interest. It could be useful to continue regular evaluation within the second-year post-transplantation regarding immunosuppression: T-cell subsets and immunoglobulin G levels.

[Assessment of iron deficiency anemia management in the general hospital of Grenoble: A 12-month follow-up of an intravenous ferric carboxymaltose treatment program in a cohort of patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease]. / Évaluation de la prise en charge de l'anémie ferriprive au CHU de Grenoble-Alpes : suivi d'un programme de traitement par carboxymaltose ferrique intraveineux pendant 12 mois dans une cohorte de patients atteints de maladie rénale chronique non dépendants d'une dialyse.

INTRODUCTION: The FIND-CKD study has validated the use of ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) injection with a target of ferritin level between 400 and 600ng/mL to treat iron deficiency anemia in non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (ND-CKD) patients. In order to assess this strategy in clinical practice, we constituted a cohort of patients within our nephrology department. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients had CKD stages 3 to 5, hemoglobin level (Hb)<13g/dL (men) or<12g/dL (women), and ferritin level (F)<100ng/mL or transferrin saturation (TSAT)<20%. They were not treated by erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) for at least one month, and oral iron had been poorly tolerated or ineffective. FCM first dose was adjusted according to patient weight. A new infusion was possible, at least one month after the first, with a half-dose if TSAT<20% but F≥200ng/mL; no perfusion was performed if F≥400ng/mL. RESULTS: In all, 53 patients were included with a mean Hb of 11.4g/dL and a mean TSAT of 16%. Over one year of follow-up, only 12 patients (22.6%) needed another treatment for anemia (blood transfusion or ESA). No patient showed a significant decrease in Hb. In all, 62% of patients received only one infusion of FCM. CONCLUSION: The administration of FCM IV with ferritin levels in the recommended target has proven effective in correcting anemia of ND-CKD patients while limiting the use of another therapeutic strategy.

Identification of drug-related problems in ambulatory chronic kidney disease patients: a 6-month prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Drug-related problems (DRPs) are common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. We developed a 2-step consultation including a clinical pharmacist (CP) session and a nephrologist conventional care consultation to explore the feasibility of a pilot drug-oriented disease management program in controlling iatrogenic side effects. METHODS: Drug inventory was estimated by a CP before each nephrology consultation. CP interventions were based on the French Society of Clinical Pharmacy intervention tools. RESULTS: In this 6-month prospective study, 67 CKD patients were enrolled: 77% with stage 3 or 4 CKD (by Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria), 66% males, 76% with diabetes, median age 70 years (range 59-75), with a mean 2.6 ± 1.2 comorbidities and 10 ± 3.5 medications. We registered 142 DRPs, in 93% of patients, which mainly concerned untreated indications (31.7%) and incorrect dosages (19%). The most frequent pharmaceutical interventions concerned addition of drug (34%) and adaptation of dose (25.5%). The main drugs involved concerned the cardiovascular (33%), digestive-metabolic (26.9%) and hematopoietic (19.9%) systems. DRPs correlated significantly with a higher number of medications (p=0.049) and with older patient age (p=0.0027). Furthermore, patients' knowledge was evaluated in 41 patients (61%) by the CP with a systematic questionnaire. Three at-risk situations were described: 80.5% of patients interviewed were unaware of the beneficial impact of their treatment, 85% were not aware of medical situations at risk and 68% declared self-medication habits. CONCLUSION: A formatted CP evaluation coupled with a renal consultation was able to detect a higher level of DRPs, to reinforce educational messages and to propose immediate changes in the therapeutic project.

Pharmaceutical care in chronic kidney disease: experience at Grenoble University Hospital from 2006 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: Clinical pharmacists (CPs) specifically manage lab-test follow-up, adapt drug dosage according to guidelines and evaluate cardiovascular risk factors and decline in renal function. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of clinical pharmacy services in outpatient nephrology clinics. METHOD: For each patient, medical history and current treatment were obtained. Each intervention was classified according to the Act-IP document of the French Society of Clinical Pharmacy. This tool contains identifications and guidelines for prevention and resolution of drug-related problems (DRPs). RESULTS: From January 2008 until April 2009, 42 patients seen by the CP on at least 2 visits were included in the study. We observed 350 pharmaceutical consultations and 263 interventions. The pharmaceutical interventions concerned: untreated indication (30%), underdosage (25.9%) and overdosage (18.3%). The CP interventions consisted of: adapting doses (42.2%) and adding treatments (31.9%). The main drugs involved concerned the cardiovascular (33.1%), digestive-metabolic (28.6%) and hematopoietic (21.6%) systems. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of a CP in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is necessary for identification and prevention of DRPs. Besides the medical improvement of CKD patients, the CP participates in the development of prescription recommendations and therapeutic education programs for patients. Moreover, redefining roles and practices of members of a clinical team proved its efficiency in optimizing the medical care of CKD patients. Furthermore, patient entry into dialysis is postponed, which leads to a reduction in costs for health care insurance.