Hemodialysis

Arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) provide vascular access for hemodialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, vascular access thrombosis often occurs, requiring frequent reinterventions to maintain access patency. This report describes the successful use of the InThrill Thrombectomy System (Irvine, CA: Inari Medical) for macerating and removing thrombus from an occluded and heavily thrombosed AVG. A 47-year-old male was sent to our institute for a thrombosed right upper extremity arteriovenous access with a HeRO graft (South Jordan, UT: Merit Medical)...

Endocarditis refers to infection or inflammation of the endocardium, and various pathogens can be involved in infective endocarditis (IE). Endocarditis is usually caused by bacteremia in patients with risk factors, including IV drug abuse, indwelling central venous or urinary catheters, recent dental infections, and implantable cardiac devices. Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P. aeruginosa ) is an extremely rare causative organism in IE, predominantly among IV drug users and involving right-sided valves. Left-sided native valve P...

Arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) have emerged as the preferred option for constructing hemodialysis access in numerous patients. Clinical trials have demonstrated that decellularized vascular graft exhibits superior patency and excellent biocompatibility compared to polymer materials; however, it still faces challenges such as intimal hyperplasia and luminal dilation. The absence of suitable animal models hinders our ability to describe and explain the pathological phenomena above and in vivo adaptation process of decellularized vascular graft at the molecular level...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Intensive care unit (ICU) quality is largely determined by the mortality rate. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate a novel prognostic model for predicting mortality in Korean ICUs, using national insurance claims data. METHODS: Data were obtained from the health insurance claims database maintained by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of South Korea. From patients who underwent the third ICU adequacy evaluation, 42,489 cases were enrolled and randomly divided into the derivation and validation cohorts...

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, making the development of non-invasive and simple-to-use tools that bring insights into the state of the cardiovascular system of utmost importance. We investigated the possibility of using peripheral pulse wave recordings to estimate stroke volume (SV) and subject-specific parameters describing the selected properties of the cardiovascular system. Peripheral pressure waveforms were recorded in the radial artery using applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor) in 35 hemodialysis (HD) patients and 14 healthy subjects...

BACKGROUND Several factors have been reported as possible predictors of intestinal necrosis in patients with portal venous gas (PVG). We describe potential indicators of intestinal necrosis in PVG identified by contrasting 3 episodes of PVG in a patient on hemodialysis against previously verified factors. CASE REPORT An 82-year-old woman undergoing hemodialysis was admitted to our hospital thrice for acute abdominal pain. On first admission, she was alert, with a body temperature of 36.3°C, blood pressure (BP) of 125/53 mmHg, pulse rate of 60/min, respiratory rate of 18/min, and 100% oxygen saturation on room air...

Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic autoimmune disease of the skin caused by the production of autoantibodies targeting desmogleins 1 and 3 usually presenting in individuals with an average age of onset of approximately 40 years. A 35-year-old obese, diabetic woman presented with fluid-filled lesions over her body for three months along with erosions and painful ulcers in her mouth and genital area for two months. Based on clinical and histopathological studies, the patient was diagnosed as a case of pemphigus vulgaris...

INTRODUCTION: Many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), including peritoneal dialysis (PD), have sarcopenia. It is important to evaluate muscle mass to prevent sarcopenia in the field of CKD management. Recently, muscle mass assessment using psoas muscle evaluated by computed tomography (CT) has been reported in patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, few clinical studies have investigated the clinical factors associated with the evaluation of psoas muscle in patients undergoing PD...

OBJECTIVE: To delineate the efficacy and safety profile of hemodiafiltration with endogenous reinfusion (HFR) for uremic toxin removal in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). METHODS: Patients who have been on MHD for a period of at least 3 months were enrolled. Each subject underwent one HFR and one hemodiafiltration (HDF) treatment. Blood samples were collected before and after a single HFR or HDF treatment to test uremic toxin levels and to calculate clearance rate...

Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) have elevated circulating calcium × phosphate product levels and exhibit soft tissue calcification. Besides the cardiovascular system, calcification is commonly observed in the cornea in CKD patients on hemodialysis. Cardiovascular calcification is a cell-mediated, highly regulated process, and we hypothesized that a similar regulatory mechanism is implicated in corneal calcification with the involvement of corneal epithelial cells (CECs)...

Guidelines are lacking for patients with calciphylaxis on renal replacement therapy, often leading to difficulty optimally treating these patients. A 60-year-old male veteran receiving hemodialysis presented with calciphylaxis of the left lower extremity and intractable pain. His condition was complicated by chronic back pain, long-term opioid therapy, and psychological trauma history. He was ultimately transferred to a calciphylaxis treatment center but was unable to tolerate further treatments due to sepsis and hemodynamic instability...

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to reduced muscle mass and strength in children resulting in a decrease in functional capacity. The objectives of this cross-sectional observational study were to evaluate and compare the functional capacity and muscle strength in children with CKD stage I - V (group A), on dialysis (stage VD) (group B), and kidney transplant recipients (KTR) (group C) in Indian children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 60 children, 20 each in groups A, B, and C were enrolled...

Both short-acting (epoetin alfa or beta) and long-acting (darbepoetin alfa or PEG-epoetin) erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are commonly prescribed for patients with kidney failure undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. We compared the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and of all-cause mortality associated with receipt of short- vs. long-acting ESAs. This retrospective cohort analysis included Medicare hemodialysis beneficiaries aged ≥ 18 years in the United States Renal Data System from January 2015 to December 2017...

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the impact of Coronavirus disease 2019  on anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Egyptian hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional study was carried out in Egypt in the years 2021-2022, where 300 HD patients from four HD centers were allocated into two groups: post-COVID and non-COVID. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Kidney Disease QOL-36 questionnaire were used to assess anxiety, depression, and QOL of the included patients...

Objective : Hemodialysis (HD) catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) are a major complication of long-/short-term catheter. Material and Methods : Patients with HD CRBSIs were identified, and their blood was taken and sent to clinical pathology for culture and sensitivity testing. The inclusion criteria were adults with end-stage renal disease who required urgent HD access in the presence of a central venous catheter (CVC) infection. Results : The most common isolates among the patients with CRBSIs were gram-positive microorganisms (57...

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Patients treated with dialysis are commonly prescribed multiple medications (polypharmacy), including some potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). PIMs are associated with an increased risk of medication harm (eg, falls, fractures, hospitalization). Deprescribing is a solution that proposes to stop, reduce, or switch medications to a safer alternative. Although deprescribing pairs well with routine medication reviews, it can be complex and time-consuming...

BACKGROUND: Every July, new residents begin training across the United States, but it is unclear whether this affects the mortality rate of critically ill patients such as those with diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA). METHODS: This national retrospective cohort study included patients aged 18 years or older admitted to acute care with DKA between 2016 and 2020. Data were obtained from the National Inpatient Sample Database. We compared patients admitted in July and August with those admitted during the remaining months and assessed the primary endpoint of all-cause inpatient mortality...

OBJECTIVE: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) stands as a prevalent neurological complication within maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. However, the alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) among MHD-RLS patients remain uncharted. Through the utilization of the arterial spin labeling (ASL) technique, we evaluated the fluctuations in CBF within distinct brain regions and analyzed the risk factors for the development of RLS in MHD patients in the context of the clinic. METHODS: Thirty-one MHD patients with concomitant RLS (MHD-RLS group) and thirty-one non-RLS patients matched based on age, gender, as well as cognitive function (MHD-nRLS group) were included...

BACKGROUND: Acute methanol intoxication, whether unintentional or deliberate, necessitates prompt intervention to prevent severe morbidity and mortality. Homemade alcoholic beverages are a frequent source of such poisoning. This retrospective analysis examined two outbreaks of methanol intoxication in Saudi Arabia. It investigated the clinical presentation, implemented management strategies, and any lasting complications (sequelae) associated with these cases. The aim was to assess the potential impact of different treatment modalities and the timeliness of their initiation on patient outcomes...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have an increased risk for cognitive impairment compared to the general population. The risk is much higher in CKD patients who progress to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and require hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Multiple factors may contribute to cognitive impairment in CKD patients and in patients on chronic dialysis. However, the observation that, after kidney transplantation, there is an improvement in several cognitive performance markers and that some structural and functional brain abnormalities may improve suggests that cognitive deficits in patients on dialysis may be at least partially reversible...