Dialysis. Access

BACKGROUND: Failure to achieve timely arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) utilization due to excessive depth (>6mm) remains an ongoing concern for dialysis access. This study evaluates the outcomes of radio cephalic (RCF) and brachiocephalic (BCF) fistula elevation required for access utilization. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing first-time autologous access over 10 years was undertaken. RCF and BCF were analyzed, and cases of initial access failure due to depth alone were selected for study...

INTRODUCTION: Pre-operative process optimization can expedite time-to-intervention and reduce overall health care costs. We hypothesized that the longest delay to hemodialysis (HD) access creation would be from pre-operative vessel mapping (mandatory in our practice), and that this would be correlated with increased catheter days. METHODS: One hundred thirty patients (24 inpatients, 106 outpatients) who received initial hemodialysis (HD) access from 01/01/2017 to 12/31/2021, at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington, were identified...

BACKGROUND: There are no large studies examining survival in patients receiving haemodialysis in India or considering centre-level effects on survival. We measured survival variation between dialysis centres across India and evaluated the extent to which differences are explained by measured centre characteristics. METHODS: This is a multilevel analysis of patient survival in centres of the NephroPlus dialysis network consisting of 193 centres across India. Patients receiving haemodialysis at a centre for ≥90 days between April 2014 and June 2019 were included, with analyses restricted to centres with ≥10 such patients...

BACKGROUND: Autogenous arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access mode. However, the earliest possible time for AVF puncture and whether premature puncture affects the AVF patency rate remain unclear. METHODS: In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, adult uremic patients who underwent AVF surgery for the first time at Taizhou Hospital or Enze Hospital of Zhejiang Province between September 1, 2018 and August 31, 2021 were enrolled. All patients were followed up for 1 year after puncture, and the status of fistula establishment and puncture, subsequent patency, loss to follow-up, renal transplantation, conversion to peritoneal dialysis, abandonment of the fistula, and death, were recorded...

BACKGROUND: A non-tunneled dialysis catheter (nTDC) is often the vascular access of choice to initiate dialysis in an intensive care unit (ICU). In the absence of contraindications, if a patient remains dialysis dependent beyond 2-weeks, the options are either to replace the nTDC with another nTDC or convert to a tunneled dialysis catheter (TDC). As a standard of care, TDCs are placed under fluoroscopic guidance. OBJECTIVES: To determine if TDCs and other tunneled central venous catheters (tCVC) can be placed safely using anatomical landmark techniques without the use of fluoroscopy...

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of hemodialysis patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a single-center from Beijing. METHODS: Patients with COVID-19 who received regular hemodialysis at Peking University Third Hospital from November 30, 2022 to January 4, 2023 were selected as the study objects. Clinical symptoms, severity and duration of symptoms during the period of virus positive were investigated in the form of questionnaires, and the basic information of the patients, as well as the results of blood tests (routine blood and blood biochemistry, etc ...

Hand dysfunction is a common observation after arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation for hemodialysis access and has a variable clinical phenotype; however, the underlying mechanism responsible is unclear. Grip strength changes are a common metric used to assess AVF-associated hand disability but has previously been found to poorly correlate with the hemodynamic perturbations post-AVF placement implicating other tissue-level factors as drivers of hand outcomes. In this study, we sought to test if expression of a mitochondrial targeted catalase (mCAT) in skeletal muscle could reduce AVF-related limb dysfunction in mice with chronic kidney disease (CKD)...

For hemodialysis-dependent patients, maintaining functional access is a crucial lifeline. Thrombosed access should be salvaged as soon as possible to avoid complications of missed dialysis and to maximize the chance of success. Due to unfortunate circumstances, this patient's thrombosed arteriovenous fistula was not salvaged for 7 months. Despite the chronicity, endovascular salvage was achieved, with subsequent successful cannulation for maintenance dialysis. Contrary to conventional wisdom, chronically thrombosed arteriovenous fistulas can be salvaged through endovascular means with appropriate patient selection...

BACKGROUND: Diseases manifest differently according to gender in many medical specialties. However, sex differences in kidney diseases have not been well explored worldwide, especially in India. These differences could also be attributed to sociocultural factors. Although CKD is more prevalent in women worldwide, most men are initiated on kidney replacement therapy (KRT). This study aimed to examine sex disparities in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in two maintenance hemodialysis units at the Institute of Nephrourology, a tertiary care referral government center in Bengaluru, India...

Telemedicine has emerged as a transformative solution in the realm of healthcare, particularly in addressing the complexities and challenges associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis care. This editorial explores the potential of telemedicine in revolutionizing the management and treatment of kidney diseases, highlighting its role in mitigating the burdens faced by healthcare systems worldwide. With the advent of high-quality audio and visual platforms, telemedicine has facilitated remote healthcare delivery, enabling healthcare professionals to provide exceptional care from a distance...

Spurious hyperphosphatemia, also known as pseudo-hyperphosphatemia, refers to artifactually elevated serum phosphate values that do not correspond to their actual systemic levels. Vascular access poses a significant challenge for individuals undergoing hemodialysis (HD) due to chronic kidney disease, primarily attributed to the elevated incidence of complications, such as infections or thrombosis associated with catheter use. To mitigate clotting risk during the inter-dialysis intervals, in recent years, a strategy involving the application of concentrated heparin (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) e...

BACKGROUND: Home haemodialysis (HHD) may be associated with important clinical, social or economic benefits. However, few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated HHD versus in-centre HD (ICHD). The relative benefits and harms of these two HD modalities are uncertain. This is an update of a review first published in 2014. This update includes non-randomised studies of interventions (NRSIs). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the benefits and harms of HHD versus ICHD in adults with kidney failure...

OBJECTIVE: To observe the multi-slice spiral CT angiography (MSCTA) imaging features of arteriovenous fistula dysfunction in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and analyze the significance of the imaging examination. METHODS: Altogether 90 patients with end-stage renal disease treated by maintenance hemodialysis in General Hospital of China Resources & Wisco from June 2020 to February 2023 were divided into a normal function group (n=68) and a dysfunction group (n=22) according to the function of autogenous arteriovenous fistula...

BACKGROUND: Although distal native fistula is the best first-line vascular access (VA), upper arm fistula (UAF) prevalence is increasing worldwide, except in Japan. Our previous survey on 50% of hemodialysis patients (HP) revealed a prevalence of UAF of less than 5%, which is lower than the findings published by the DOPPS 5 study in our country. We analyzed the VA prevalence on 100% of HPs from our department. METHODS: In December 2021, we investigated the prevalence of vascular access of 1295 hemodialysis patients from 17 dialysis factories...

Introduction Arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are the preferred type of vascular access for hemodialysis due to their lower risk of complications. This study aimed to determine the role of Doppler evaluation in assessing AVF. Materials and methods We conducted an 18-month prospective observational study of 33 hemodialysis patients who underwent a procedure for the creation of AVF at the Department of Radio-Diagnosis at Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research. Patients were evaluated using color Doppler ultrasound...

BACKGROUND: Despite widespread efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, an ongoing contributor to opioid misuse remains post-operative opioid overprescribing by residents. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of a low-cost, reproducible "just in time" intervention on opioid prescribing in dialysis access operations. METHODS: Standardized opioid prescribing guidelines were emailed to residents on the vascular service on the first day of the rotation. Opioid prescriptions were reviewed for four years before and one year after this intervention...

INTRODUCTION: Stuck tunneled central venous catheters (CVCs) have been increasingly reported. In rare cases, the impossibility of extracting the CVC from the central vein after regular traction is the result of rigid adhesions to the surrounding fibrin sheath. Forced traction during catheter removal can cause serious complications, including cardiac tamponade, hemothorax, and hemorrhagic shock. Knowledge and experience on how to properly manage the stuck catheter are still limited. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present two cases that highlight the successful removal of the stuck tunneled CVC via thoracotomy through the close collaboration of multidisciplinary specialists in the best possible way...

INTRODUCTION: In recent decades, all-cause mortality has increased among individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), influenced by factors such as aetiology, standards of care and access to kidney replacement therapies (dialysis and transplantation). The recent COVID-19 pandemic also affected mortality over the past few years. Here, we outline the protocol for a systematic review to investigate global temporal trends in all-cause mortality among patients with CKD at any stage from 1990 to current...

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BACKGROUND: E-referral systems, streamlining patient access to specialists, have gained global recognition yet lacked a comparative study between internal and external referrals in Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: This retrospective study utilized secondary data from the Saudi Medical Appointments and Referrals Centre system. The data covers 2020 and 2021, including socio-demographic data, referral characteristics, and specialties. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess factors associated with external referrals...