Therapeutic Advances in Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in the United States. Risk factor modification, such as tight control of blood glucose, management of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, and the use of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) blockade have been proven to help delay the progression of DKD. In recent years, new therapeutics including sodium-glucose transport protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, endothelin antagonists, glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA), have provided additional treatment options for patients with DKD. This review discusses the various treatment options available to treat patients with diabetic kidney disease

Cardiac Surgery Outcomes in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis Versus Peritoneal Dialysis

Rationale & Objective: We sought to compare outcomes of patients receiving dialysis after cardiothoracic surgery on the basis of dialysis modality (intermittent hemodialysis [HD] vs peritoneal dialysis [PD]). Study Design: This was a retrospective analysis. Setting & Participants: In total, 590 patients with kidney failure receiving intermittent HD or PD undergoing coronary artery bypass graft and/or valvular cardiac surgery at Cleveland Clinic were included. Exposure: The patients received PD versus HD (intermittent or continuous). Outcomes: Our primary outcomes were in-hospital and 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were length of stay, days in the intensive care unit, the number of intraoperative blood transfusions, postsurgical pericardial effusion, and sternal wound infection, and a composite of the following 4 in-hospital events: death, cardiac arrest, effusion, and sternal wound infection. Analytical Approach: We used χ2, Fisher exact, Wilcoxon rank sum, and t tests, Kaplan-Meier survival, and plots for analysis. Results: Among the 590 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, 62 (11%) were receiving PD, and 528 (89%) were receiving intermittent HD. Notably, 30-day Kaplan-Meier survival was 95.7% (95% CI: 93.9-97.5) for HD and 98.2% (95% CI: 94.7-100) for PD (P = 0.30). In total, 75 patients receiving HD (14.2%) and 1 patient receiving PD (1.6%) had a composite of 4 in-hospital events (death, cardiac arrest, effusion, and sternal wound infection) (P = 0.005). Out of 62 patients receiving PD, 16 (26%) were converted to HD. Limitations: Retrospective analyses are prone to residual confounding. We lacked details about nutritional data. Intensive care unit length of stay was used as a surrogate for volume status control. Patients have been followed in a single health care system. The HD cohort outnumbered the PD cohort significantly. Conclusions: When compared with PD, HD does not appear to improve outcomes of patients with kidney failure undergoing cardiothoracic surgery. Patients receiving PD had a lower incidence of a composite outcome of 4 in-hospital events (death, cardiac arrest, pericardial effusion, and sternal wound infections). Plain-Language Summary: Patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) are frequently switched to hemodialysis (HD) around the time of an open-heart surgery. More times than not, this is driven by the preference of nonkidney doctors, because HD is perceived to control toxins and fluids better. PD is, however, more advantageous and can achieve similar results while being gentler. In an effort to keep patients on their home PD, we analyzed how they fared when compared with their HD counterparts. Patients maintained on PD did just as well if not better around and after their open-heart surgery. Given the expected increase in patients treated with PD, efforts should be made to maintain them on their home modality even around major surgeries

Comparison of CT acquired cardiac valvular calcification scores in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients undergoing open heart surgery

Study objective: Data is scarce regarding which dialysis modality portends more severe cardiac valvular calcification (CVC). Our aim was to compare the degree of CVC in hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patient cohorts prior to open heart surgery (OHS) using a CT calcium score. Design, setting, and participants: Dialysis patients who underwent OHS at our institution from 2009 to 2019 and who had pre-surgical cardiac CT were included in our study. We obtained duration of dialysis modality prior to their surgical date. There were two study cohorts to evaluate outcomes of interest: mitral and aortic calcification. CVC was assessed using the Agatston score. Logistic regression was performed to test for the association of PD and HD cumulative dialysis duration with presence of CVC. Results: A total of 214 and 166 patients met inclusion for the mitral and aortic strata, respectively. Age, female sex, and BMI were associated with higher odds of presence of mitral calcification. Age and BMI were associated with higher odds of presence of aortic calcification, while female sex was associated with lower odds in the aortic strata. Cumulative years on PD and cumulative years on HD were not significantly associated with presence of CVC in either cohort. Conclusion: Presence of mitral and aortic calcification for patients undergoing OHS was not significantly associated with cumulative length of PD or HD after adjusting for age, gender, and BMI suggesting that there may be more factors at play in the progression of CVC in end stage renal disease patients than what was previously established

Capacity for the management of kidney failure in the International Society of Nephrology North America and the Caribbean region: report from the 2023 ISN Global Kidney Health Atlas (ISN-GKHA).

The International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas charts the availability and capacity of kidney care globally. In the North America and the Caribbean region, the Atlas can identify opportunities for kidney care improvement, particularly in Caribbean countries where structures for systematic data collection are lacking. In this third iteration, respondents from 12 of 18 countries from the region reported a 2-fold higher than global median prevalence of dialysis and transplantation, and a 3-fold higher than global median prevalence of dialysis centers. The peritoneal dialysis prevalence was lower than the global median, and transplantation data were missing from 6 of the 10 Caribbean countries. Government-funded payments predominated for dialysis modalities, with greater heterogeneity in transplantation payor mix. Services for chronic kidney disease, such as monitoring of anemia and blood pressure, and diagnostic capability relying on serum creatinine and urinalyses were universally available. Notable exceptions in Caribbean countries included non-calcium-based phosphate binders and kidney biopsy services. Personnel shortages were reported across the region. Kidney failure was identified as a governmental priority more commonly than was chronic kidney disease or acute kidney injury. In this generally affluent region, patients have better access to kidney replacement therapy and chronic kidney disease-related services than in much of the world. Yet clear heterogeneity exists, especially among the Caribbean countries struggling with dialysis and personnel capacity. Important steps to improve kidney care in the region include increased emphasis on preventive care, a focus on home-based modalities and transplantation, and solutions to train and retain specialized allied health professionals