Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease最新文献

Background: Patients who experienced acute kidney injury (AKI) may benefit from dedicated care following hospital discharge. Most of these patients will be followed by primary care providers. There is a lack of data on current practices and comfort for these care providers when offering post-AKI care.

Objective: We surveyed nurse practitioners and family physicians to assess their awareness, perceptions, practice patterns and comfort regarding post-AKI care.

Design/setting: We distributed a web-based self-administered survey among clinicians from the Province of Quebec. We asked about their awareness and perceptions on how AKI should be disclosed and followed, the barriers encountered regarding the process of care following hospital discharge, and their level of comfort and expertise in offering dedicated post-AKI care. The survey integrated direct and scenario-based questions and was conducted from December 2022 to April 2023.

Participants: We distributed the survey to practicing family physicians and nurse practitioners through the mailing list of the Fédération des Médecins Omnipraticiens du Québec, and the Association des infirmières praticiennes spécialisées du Québec, respectively. No incentives were provided.

Methods: We conducted descriptive analyses and used chi-squared analysis to compare responses between family physicians and nurse practitioners and between hospital-based and cabinet-based practice.

Results: The survey was opened by 779 potential participants. Of these, the response rate was 9% (70/779). Most participants were family physicians (79%) and dedicated 70% (±32) of their time in community outpatient clinics. Participants reported that 59% (±20) of all patients seen daily had at least 1 risk factor for AKI, whereas they estimated that 21% (±12) of recently discharged patients suffered from an AKI episode. The lack of awareness by the patient and lack of details on the discharge summary were the barriers most frequently reported impacting the overall process of care at follow-up. Most nurse practitioners (60%) and 33% of family physicians reported at least some levels of discomfort and lack of expertise when offering post-AKI.

Limitations: The generalizability of our study is limited by its response rate. However, this is comparable with typical response rates seen in electronic surveys. The distribution was limited to a single province of Canada.

Conclusions: We reported significant barriers regarding the hospital-to-community transition of care in patients who experienced AKI and the suboptimal comfort and expertise of primary care providers when offering dedicated post-AKI care. This reflects the need to improve communication, collaboration, and AKI training with primary care providers.

Purpose: Using data from Ontario, Canada, this report shows how provincial government-assigned health card numbers can be used for individual-level randomization in large pragmatic trials. We describe how health card numbers are assigned and analyze the distribution of health card digits in a trial setting. We then provide an example of how they can be used for randomization and discuss the methodological and practical considerations of the approach.

Key findings: In Ontario, Canada, health card numbers are randomly generated and assigned without regard to the applicant's characteristics. The number is a 10-digit string connected with hyphens followed by a version code (ie, 1234-567-890-XX). The number is unique to each individual and assigned for life. Before assignment, some numbers within the 10 digits are altered using proprietary business rules. We demonstrate how to use certain digits for individual-level randomization and provide an example of how we will use the tenth digit for randomization in a large new trial of different dialysate bicarbonate concentrations. While this approach has many practical and methodological advantages, it does not allow for stratification. Before using this approach, teams should consider if it will affect the integrity of the randomization and the trial, which will be influenced by the setting and the type of intervention tested.

Implications: Using provincial government-assigned health card numbers for pragmatic randomized trials appears viable, but the merits must be carefully considered on a trial-by-trial basis. The approach can streamline and reduce the cost of conducting such trials.

Background: Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) causes cellular dysfunction and death in organs like the kidney, heart, and brain. It involves energy depletion during ischemia and oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis during reperfusion. Kidney IRI often leads to acute kidney injury (AKI) in various clinical scenarios. The omentum, an adipose tissue with healing properties, has been used to treat injuries in different organs.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the omentum's healing effects on reducing IRI's adverse effects after renal ischemia in Wistar rats.

Method: A total number of 36 male Wistar rats were used in a study on IRI-induced AKI. Rats were divided into 6 groups of normal kidneys wrapped with omentum "Sham-1" and "Sham-2," ischemic kidney wrapped with omentum as "OMT-1" and "OMT-2," and ischemic kidney without omentum as "Control-1" and "Control-2." Ischemia was induced by clamping the left renal artery for 45 minutes. The omentum was transposed onto the injured kidney in "OMT" group. After sacrifice at weeks 4 and 8, kidney histology and blood samples were analyzed for kidney function markers.

Results: On the first day after surgery, there was an immediate increase in creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels, which then decreased by day 28. Both OMT groups showed significantly lower levels of creatinine and BUN compared to Control groups on day 1, but after 28 days differences were not statistically significant. Histological analysis using H&E and Masson's trichrome staining revealed significantly higher levels of inflammatory cell infiltration and hyperemia in the OMT groups. However, fibrosis and glomerular shrinkage were higher in the Control groups.

Conclusion: Using an omental flap significantly prevented fibrosis within the renal parenchyma, slow down the AKI progression, and potentially serving as a promising therapeutic strategy for kidney dysfunction.

Brentuximab vedotin is a combination monoclonal antibody to anti-CD30 conjugated to the anti-tubulin agent monomethyl auristatin E. It is approved for the treatment of mycosis fungoides, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Brentuximab has been associated with a number of potential adverse reactions; however, reports of renal complications are rare. A 73-year-old male with mycosis fungoides was admitted to hospital with acute kidney injury following his third cycle of brentuximab. The patient's serum creatinine (SCr) was 122 µmol/L with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 58 mL/min/1.73 m² at baseline. Following brentuximab, his SCr peaked at 1073 µmol/L over a 4-week period. Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) was diagnosed after other causes of acute kidney injury were ruled out and subsequently confirmed on kidney biopsy. The patient was started on prednisone 50 mg daily. This was continued for 3 weeks, followed by a 5-week taper. The patient's SCr decreased to 156 µmol/L by completion of the prednisone taper. He was not rechallenged with brentuximab. A kidney biopsy confirmed AIN in keeping with injury from an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). However, brentuximab is not an ICI. The AIN from ICIs typically has tubulointerstitial inflammatory infiltrate comprised of T lymphocytes such as the case presented here. Therefore, this represents both a novel histopathologic finding in AIN from a non-ICI medication and a rare complication of brentuximab, previously only presented in abstract form.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication associated with severe COVID-19 and has been linked to increased mortality. While vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 has shown effectiveness in reducing severe COVID-19 outcomes, its impact on the development of AKI among hospitalized patients remains unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on the incidence and severity of AKI and 28-day mortality among hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19.

Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Setting: Conducted at the Internal Medicine Department of Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Mexico, from April 2020 to December 2021.

Patients: 413 patients over 18 with confirmed severe COVID-19 were included. Patients were categorized based on their vaccination status before COVID-19 infection.

Measurements: Key outcomes included the incidence of AKI, progression to AKI stage 3, and 28-day mortality. AKI was defined according to the KDIGO criteria.

Methods: Data were analyzed using univariate and logistic regression models to assess the association between vaccination status and the studied outcomes. Covariates included age, sex, BMI, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and inflammatory markers.

Results: Among the 413 patients, 70% developed AKI, with a median hospital stay of 10 days (range 6-17). Vaccinated patients had a significantly lower incidence of AKI compared with nonvaccinated patients (48.7% vs 74.9%; P < .001). After adjusting for confounding factors, vaccination was associated with lower odds of AKI (OR: 0.252, 95% CI: 0.140-0.452), AKI stage 3 (OR: 0.448, 95% CI: 0.205-0.981), and 28-day mortality (OR: 0.187, 95% CI: 0.064-0.544).

Limitations: As a single-center retrospective study, generalizability is limited. In addition, vaccination data were obtained from medical records, and the completeness of vaccination could not be independently verified.

Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was independently associated with a reduced risk of AKI, AKI stage 3, and 28-day mortality in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. These findings highlight the potential protective effects of vaccination against severe kidney complications in this population.

Purpose of review: Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are glucose lowering agents with protective effects on cardiovascular health and the ability to slow chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. The benefits of SGLT-2 inhibitors have not been studied in patients with advanced CKD or on maintenance dialysis. Ultrafiltration failure is a common reason for failure of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Glucose transporters, such as SGLT-2, are involved in the progression to ultrafiltration failure, and hence, SGLT-2 inhibitors might be beneficial in patients on PD to prevent ultrafiltration failure.

Source of information: Here, we review data from animal models and ongoing clinical trials of SGLT-2 inhibitors in advanced CKD, as well as considerations for a phase III trial in patients on PD.

Methods: A literature search was conducted and information on clinical trials was obtained from clinicaltrials.gov.

Key findings: Animal models of PD have shown upregulation of glucose transporters in the peritoneal membrane and a potential effect of SGLT-2 inhibitors on glucose absorption and ultrafiltration. Several clinical trials are currently ongoing with SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients on PD. We discuss their study designs and propose a mixed-methods, patient-centered approach to studying SGLT-2 inhibitors in PD patients. We also discuss the potential implications of SGLT-2 inhibitors on people living with kidney failure, especially in remote communities.

Purpose of review: Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease in individuals that receive a kidney transplant, and those without pre-existing diabetes are at greater risk of developing diabetes following kidney transplant. A class of diabetes treatment medications called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) has seen recent widespread use for people with diabetes or obesity, with efficacy for improved glycemic control, weight loss, and reduced risk of cardiovascular events. Given these benefits, and indications for use that often co-occur in kidney transplant recipients, use of GLP-1RAs warrants consideration in this population. Therefore, we sought to review the current literature to better understand the mechanisms of action, clinical application, and person-centred considerations of GLP-1RAs in kidney transplant recipients.

Sources of information: Original articles were identified between December 2023 and July 2024 from electronic databases including the Ovid MEDLINE database, PubMed, and Google Scholar using terms "kidney transplant," "GLP-1," "glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist," and "diabetes."

Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to explore the relationship between GLP-1RAs and kidney transplant recipients. We reviewed the current state of evidence across the research disciplines of basic or fundamental science, clinical and health services research, and person-centred equity science, and highlighted important knowledge gaps that offer opportunities for future research.

Key findings: Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated the benefit of GLP-1RAs in people with and without diabetic kidney disease, including decreased risk of cardiovascular events. However, there is a paucity of high-quality randomized controlled trials and observational studies analyzing use of GLP-1RAs in kidney transplant recipients. Evidence of benefit in this population is therefore limited to small studies or inferred from research conducted in nontransplant populations. Growing evidence from preclinical and clinical studies may elucidate renoprotective mechanisms of GLP-1RAs and remove barriers to application of these drugs in the transplant recipient population. Individuals who are female, non-white, have lower socioeconomic status, and live in rural communities are at greater risk of diabetes and have lower uptake of GLP-1RAs. There is a need for clinical trials across diverse kidney transplant populations to estimate the efficacy of GLP-1RAs on important health outcomes.

Limitations: The search strategy for this narrative review may not have been sensitive to identify all relevant articles. Our search was limited to English language articles.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic notably disrupted care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) care, necessitating a rapid shift to telemedicine. Despite the growing use of telemedicine, the impact of this transition on patients' experiences, particularly in Canada and considering sociocultural factors, remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate patients with CKD perspectives on telemedicine versus in-person care and to offer recommendations for enhancing telemedicine services.

Objective: The objective was to understand patients with CKD views on telemedicine clinics during the pandemic compared to traditional in-person clinics.

Design: This was a qualitative descriptive study employing semi-structured interviews.

Setting: This study was conducted in general nephrology and multidisciplinary kidney care clinics in London, Canada.

Population: The study population was English-speaking patients with CKD with at least one in-person nephrology visit before March 15, 2020, and one telemedicine appointment after March 30, 2020.

Methods: Interviews were conducted using a structured guide, with transcripts analyzed line-by-line by 3 independent reviewers through directed content analysis. Themes were identified and agreed upon through group consensus.

Results: Interviews with 12 participants revealed 5 key themes: (1) convenience; (2) building connection and trust; (3) necessity of in-person care; (4) role of family or caregivers; and (5) preferences for clinic types. Most participants (11/12) valued the convenience of telemedicine, noting similar levels of care compared to in-person visits. However, they found it easier to establish personal connections in face-to-face appointments. Most (8/12) preferred in-person visits if their condition worsened. Overall, a combination of in-person and telemedicine was favored, with a preference for video over telephone.

Limitations: The study's focus on one academic nephrology center in Ontario and predominantly white participants limits broader applicability. Additionally, recall bias may affect the findings due to the interview-based design.

Conclusions: Telemedicine will remain integral to CKD care, with a hybrid model combining in-person and telemedicine preferred. Integrating patient feedback into future telemedicine practices is essential to enhance flexibility, access, and patient satisfaction.