"What matters to you?": The relevance of patient priorities in dialysis care for assessment and clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Dialysis patients are confronted with numerous, complex problems, which make it difficult to identify individual patient's most prominent problems. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify dialysis patients' most prominent problems from a patient perspective and (2) to calculate disease-specific norms for questionnaires measuring these problems. METHODS: One hundred seventy-five patients treated with hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis completed a priority list on several domains of functioning (e.g., physical health, mental health, social functioning, and daily activities) and a set of matching questionnaires assessing patient functioning on these domains. Patient priorities were assessed by calculating the importance ranking of each domain on the priority list. Subsequently, disease-specific norm scores were calculated for all questionnaires, both for the overall sample and stratified by patient characteristics. RESULTS: Fatigue was listed as patients' most prominent problem. Priorities differed between male and female patients, younger and older patients, and home and center dialysis patients, which was also reflected in their scores on the corresponding domains of functioning. Therefore, next to general norm scores, we calculated corrections to the general norms to take account of patient characteristics (i.e., sex, age, and dialysis type). CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the importance of having attention for the specific priorities and needs of each individual patient. Adequate disease-specific, norm-based assessment is not only necessary for diagnostic procedures but is an essential element of patient-centered care: It will help to better understand and respect individual patient needs and tailor treatment accordingly.

Echocardiographic associates of atrial fibrillation in end-stage renal disease.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is relatively high. The present study evaluated the association between left atrial (LA) remodelling, including an increased size and myocardial fibrosis, and slow LA conduction and the occurrence of AF. METHODS: In 171 ESRD patients enrolled in the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators in Dialysis patients (ICD2) trial, the LA dimensions, LA conduction delay [as reflected by the time difference between P-wave onset on surface electrocardiogram and A'-wave on tissue Doppler imaging (PA-TDI)] and LA function were compared between patients who exhibited AF versus patients without AF. Based on ICD remote monitoring or clinical records, the occurrence of AF was detected. RESULTS: Of 171 patients, 47 (27%) patients experienced AF. Despite comparable left ventricular ejection fraction and prevalence of significant mitral regurgitation, patients with AF had significantly larger LA volume index (mean ± standard deviation) (29 ± 11 versus 23 ± 10 mL/m2, P = 0.001), longer PA-TDI duration (144 ± 30 versus 131 ± 27 ms, P = 0.010) and reduced late diastolic mitral annular velocity (A') (7.1 ± 2.8 versus 8.2 ± 2.4 cm/s, P = 0.012) compared with patients without AF. On multivariable analysis, larger LA volume index [odds ratio (OR) 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.08, P = 0.017], longer PA-TDI duration (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.03, P = 0.025) and reduced A' (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.98, P = 0.025) were independently associated with AF after adjusting for age and left ventricle diastolic relaxation. CONCLUSION: ESRD patients with AF show more advanced changes in the LA substrate than ESRD patients without AF.

Synthetic ACTH in High Risk Patients with Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy: A Prospective, Open Label Cohort Study.

New therapeutic agents are warranted in idiopathic membranous nephropathy. Synthetic ACTH may be advantageous with reported remission rates up to 85% and few side effects. We conducted a prospective open label cohort study from 2008 till 2010 (NCT00694863). We prospectively selected patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy and high risk for progression (defined as ßeta-2-microglobulin (ß2m) excretion of >500 ng/min). For comparison, we selected matched historical controls treated with cyclophosphamide. The prospectively selected patients received intramuscular injections of synthetic ACTH during 9 months (maximal dose 1 mg twice a week). The primary endpoints concerned the feasibility and incidence of remissions as a primary event. Secondary endpoints included side effects of treatment and the incidence of remissions and relapses at long-term follow-up. Twenty patients (15 men) were included (age 54±14 years, serum creatinine 104 µmol/l [IQR 90­113], urine protein:creatinine ratio 8.7 g/10 mmol creatinine [IQR 4.3­11.1]). Seventeen patients (85%) completed treatment. 97% of injections were administered correctly. Cumulative remission rate was 55% (complete remission in 4 patients, partial remission 7 patients). In a group of historical controls treated with cyclophosphamide and steroids, 19 of 20 patients (95%) developed a remission (complete remission in 13 patients, partial remission in 6 patients) (p<0.01). The main limitation of our study is its small size and the use of a historical control group. We show that treatment with intramuscular injections of synthetic ACTH is feasible. Our data suggest that synthetic ACTH is less effective than cyclophosphamide in inducing a remission in high risk patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy. The use of synthetic ACTH was also associated with many adverse events. Therefore, we advise against synthetic ACTH as standard treatment in membranous nephropathy.

The influence of bicarbonate/lactate-buffered PD fluids on N{ε}-(carboxyethyl)lysine and N{ε}-(carboxymethyl)lysine in peritoneal effluent.

OBJECTIVE: Accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) may be involved in the pathogenesis of peritoneal membrane dysfunction. As glycoxidation may play an important role in AGE formation, peritoneal dialysis fluids with low levels of glucose degradation products (GDPs) might result in a reduction in AGE concentration in the peritoneal effluent. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of conventional glucose-containing dialysis solutions and low GDP level fluids on the concentration of the AGEs N(ε)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and N(ε)-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL) in peritoneal effluent. DESIGN: Prospective randomized control study. METHODS: 23 patients were treated with either conventional glucose-containing fluid (n = 11, group A) or low level GDP fluid (n = 12, group B) during a period of 12 weeks. Before and after this period, CML and CEL were measured in peritoneal effluent. RESULTS: In groups A and B there were changes in CML concentrations [respectively 13.7 ± 17.0 and -16.0 ± 46.0 nmol/L (NS)] and CEL concentrations (respectively 20.3 ± 26.6 and -8.8 ± 18.9 nmol/L, p = 0.015). Residual renal function (RRF) in groups A and B was, respectively, 6.8 and 6.1 mL/min (NS). CML, but not CEL, in the peritoneal effluent was inversely related to RRF (r = -0.67, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CEL, but not CML, in the peritoneal effluent appears to be influenced by the prescription of low GDP level fluid, probably due to the highly reduced concentration of methylglyoxal, which is needed for formation of CEL. CML is primarily influenced by RRF.

Inflammation, overhydration and cardiac biomarkers in haemodialysis patients: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation, overhydration and elevated cardiac biomarkers are related to outcome in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Here, we explored the relationship between the body composition (BC), inflammation and cardiac biomarker concentrations in HD patients longitudinally. METHODS: A total of 44 HD patients were followed for 6 months. BC was assessed by multifrequency bioimpedance (BIA). Serum concentrations of cardiac troponin T (cTnT), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) were assessed at 2 monthly intervals. The longitudinal data analysis was conducted with a marginal model. RESULTS: During the follow-up, the parameters describing the BC were highly predictive of both BNP and NT-proBNP and independent of gender, time, hsCRP and cTnT concentrations. The intracellular water (ICW)/body weight (BW) ratio (reflecting malnutrition) exerted a negative effect, whereas the extracellular water (ECW)/BW ratio (reflecting overhydration) had a positive effect on BNP and NT-proBNP concentrations. HsCRP and cTnT concentrations were significantly associated with each other. Furthermore, NT-proBNP concentrations were predictive of cTnT and hsCRP concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we find a significant relation between BIA-derived BC parameters and natriuretic peptide concentrations. This relationship was independent of the cardiac history of the patient and suggests that the natriuretic peptide levels are to some degree modifiable by changing a patient's fluid distribution. Moreover, cTnT, BNP, NT-proBNP and hsCRP were significantly related, showing a complex relation between overhydration, malnutrition, inflammation and cardiac biomarkers in dialysis patients.