Putting patients at the center of kidney care transitions: PREPARE NOW, a cluster randomized controlled trial

Care for patients transitioning from chronic kidney disease to kidney failure often falls short of meeting patients' needs. The PREPARE NOW study is a cluster randomized controlled trial studying the effectiveness of a pragmatic health system intervention, 'Patient Centered Kidney Transition Care,' a multi-component health system intervention designed to improve patients' preparation for kidney failure treatment. Patient-Centered Kidney Transition Care provides a suite of new electronic health information tools (including a disease registry and risk prediction tools) to help providers recognize patients in need of Kidney Transitions Care and focus their attention on patients' values and treatment preferences. Patient-Centered Kidney Transition Care also adds a 'Kidney Transitions Specialist' to the nephrology health care team to facilitate patients' self-management empowerment, shared-decision making, psychosocial support, care navigation, and health care team communication. The PREPARE NOW study is conducted among eight [8] outpatient nephrology clinics at Geisinger, a large integrated health system in rural Pennsylvania. Four randomly selected nephrology clinics employ the Patient Centered Kidney Transitions Care intervention while four clinics employ usual nephrology care. To assess intervention effectiveness, patient reported, biomedical, and health system outcomes are collected annually over a period of 36 months via telephone questionnaires and electronic health records. The PREPARE NOW Study may provide needed evidence on the effectiveness of patient-centered health system interventions to improve nephrology patients' experiences, capabilities, and clinical outcomes, and it will guide the implementation of similar interventions elsewhere.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT02722382.

Chronic kidney disease after hematopoietic cell transplantation: a systematic review

Advances in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) have broadened its indications for use and resulted in more long-term HCT survivors. Some survivors develop chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, the incidence and risk factors are unclear. We performed a systematic review of studies identified from databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index), conference abstracts and reference lists from selected manuscripts. From 927 manuscripts, 28 patient cohorts were identified in which 9317 adults and children underwent HCT and 7317 (79%) survived to at least 100 days, permitting inclusion of 5337 (73% of survivors) in quantitative analyses. Although definitions and measurements varied widely, approximately 16.6% of HCT patients developed CKD and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR in mL/min/1.73 m(2)) decreased by 24.5 after 24 months. This decrease was greater amongst patients undergoing allogeneic HCT (DeltaeGFR = -40.0 versus -18.6 for autologous transplants). Several commonly reported risk factors for CKD were investigated, including acute renal failure, total body irradiation, graft versus host disease and long-term cyclosporine use. In conclusion, CKD following HCT is likely to be common; however, prospective studies with uniform definitions of CKD and risk factors are needed to confirm these findings and better define the underlying mechanisms to promote therapies that prevent this complication.

Association of intradialytic blood pressure changes with hospitalization and mortality rates in prevalent ESRD patients

The relationship between blood pressure (BP) and clinical outcomes among hemodialysis patients is complex and incompletely understood. This study sought to assess the relationship between blood pressure changes with hemodialysis and clinical outcomes during a 6-month period. This study is a secondary analysis of the Crit-Line Intradialytic Monitoring Benefit Study, a randomized trial of 443 hemodialysis subjects, designed to determine whether blood volume monitoring reduced hospitalization. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between BP changes with hemodialysis (Deltasystolic blood pressure=postdialysis-predialysis systoic BP (SBP) and the primary outcome of non-access-related hospitalization and death. Subjects whose systolic blood pressure fell with dialysis were younger, took fewer blood pressure medications, had higher serum creatinine, and higher dry weights. After controlling for baseline characteristics, lab variables, and treatment group, subjects whose SBP remained unchanged with hemodialysis (N=150, DeltaSBP -10 to 10 mm Hg) or whose SBP rose with hemodialysis (N=58, DeltaSBP > or =10 mm Hg) had a higher odds of hospitalization or death compared to subjects whose SBP fell with hemodialysis (N=230, DeltaSBP < or =-10 mm Hg) (odds ratio: 1.85, confidence interval: 1.15-2.98; and odds ratio: 2.17, confidence interval: 1.13-4.15). Subjects whose systolic blood pressure fell with hemodialysis had a significantly decreased risk of hospitalization or death at 6 months, suggesting that hemodynamic responses to dialysis are associated with short-term outcomes among a group of prevalent hemodialysis subjects. Further research should attempt to elucidate the mechanisms behind these findings.

Delayed compared with immediate use of peritoneal catheter in pediatric peritoneal dialysis

Delayed use of the peritoneal catheter may be one method of reducing catheter-related complications in chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD); however, the risks and benefits of immediate as compared with delayed use have not been examined in children. We retrospectively analyzed 33 peritoneal catheter placements in 27 children between 1997 and 2000. Eleven catheters were used for PD immediately following insertion (group I); 22 catheters were used only after a delay averaging 20 days (group D). Characteristics of the children in the two groups were similar. Catheter-related complications within the first 3 months after placement--including dialysate leak, fibrin plug, outflow obstruction, cuff extrusion, herniation, exit-site and tunnel infection, peritonitis, and catheter revision and replacement--were evaluated. Rates of individual complications in the two groups were similar, but several trends were noted. Dialysate leaks were more common in group I (rate of 0.36 in group I vs 0.09 in group D), and infectious complications were more common in group D (rate of exit-site or tunnel infection of 0.14 in group D vs 0.09 in group I; rate of peritonitis of 0.36 in group D vs 0.18 in group I). We conclude from this small study that delayed use of the peritoneal catheter does not appear to convey significant advantages over immediate use; however, immediate use may be associated with more frequent dialysate leaks. On the other hand, delayed use may be associated with a greater risk of infection. Further studies involving larger numbers of children will be necessary to confirm these findings.

Are physicians aware of which of their patients have indwelling urinary catheters?

PURPOSE

Although infections associated with indwelling urinary catheters are common, costly, and morbid, the use of these catheters is unnecessary in more than one-third of patients. We sought to assess whether attending physicians, medical residents, and medical students are aware if their hospitalized patients have an indwelling urinary catheter, and whether physician awareness is associated with appropriate use of these catheters.

METHODS

The physicians and medical students responsible for patients admitted to the medical services at four university-affiliated hospitals were given a list of the patients on their service. For each patient, the provider was asked: "As of yesterday afternoon, did this patient have an indwelling urethral catheter?" Respondents' answers were compared with the results of examining the patient.

RESULTS

Among 288 physicians and students on 56 medical teams, 256 (89%) completed the survey. Of 469 patients, 117 (25%) had an indwelling catheter. There were a total of 319 provider-patient observations among these 117 patients. Overall, providers were unaware of catheterization for 88 (28%) of the 319 provider-patient observations. Unawareness rates by level of training were 21% for students, 22% for interns, 27% for residents, and 38% for attending physicians (P = 0.06). Catheter use was inappropriate in 36 (31%) of the 117 patients with a catheter. Providers were unaware of catheter use for 44 (41%) of the 108 provider-patient observations of patients who were inappropriately catheterized. Catheterization was more likely to be appropriate if respondents were aware of the catheter (odds ratio = 3.7; 95% confidence interval, 2.1 to 6.7, P <0.001).

CONCLUSION

Physicians are commonly unaware that their patients have an indwelling urinary catheter. Inappropriate catheters are more often "forgotten" than appropriate ones. System-wide interventions aimed at discontinuing unnecessary catheterization seem warranted.

Inactivation of aflatoxin B1 by using the synergistic effect of hydrogen peroxide and gamma radiation

Inactivation of aflatoxin B1 was studied by using gamma radiation and hydrogen peroxide. A 100-krad dose of gamma radiation was sufficient to inactivate 50 micrograms of aflatoxin B1 in the presence of 5% hydrogen peroxide, and 400 krad was required for total degradation of 100 micrograms of aflatoxin in the same system. Degradation of aflatoxin B1 was confirmed by high-pressure liquid chromatographic and thin-layer chromatographic analysis. Ames microsomal mutagenicity test showed loss of aflatoxin activity. This method of detoxification also reduces the toxin levels effectively in artificially contaminated groundnuts.