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INTRODUCTION: A reliable method of intradialysis calcium mass balance quantification is far from been established. We herein investigated the use of a single-pool variable-volume Calcium kinetic model to assess calcium mass balance in chronic and stable dialysis patients. METHODS: Thirty-four patients on thrice-weekly HD were studied during 240 dialysis sessions. All patients were dialyzed with a nominal total calcium concentration of 1.50 mmol/L. The main assumption of the model is that the calcium distribution volume is equal to the extracellular volume during dialysis. This hypothesis is assumed valid if measured and predicted end dialysis plasma water ionized calcium concentrations are equal. A difference between predicted and measured end-dialysis ionized plasma water calcium concentration is a deviation on our main hypothesis, meaning that a substantial amount of calcium is exchanged between the extracellular volume and a nonmodeled compartment. FINDINGS: The difference between predicted and measured values was 0.02 mmol/L (range -0.08:0.16 mmol/L). With a mean ionized dialysate calcium concentration of 1.25 mmol/L, calcium mass balance was on average negative (mean ± SD -0.84 ± 1.33 mmol, range -5.42:2.75). Predialysis ionized plasma water concentration and total ultrafiltrate were the most important predictors of calcium mass balance. A significant mobilization of calcium from the extracellular pool to a nonmodeled pool was calculated in a group of patients. DISCUSSION: The proposed single pool variable-volume Calcium kinetic model is adequate for prediction and quantification of intradialysis calcium mass balance, it can evaluate the eventual calcium transfer outside the extracellular pool in clinical practice.

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BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate total and sudden death (SD) in a cohort of dialysis patients, comparing hemodialysis (HD) vs. peritoneal dialysis (PD). METHODS: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study. RESULTS: Deaths were 626 out of 1,823 in HD and 62 of 249 in PD patients. HD patients had a greater number of comorbidities (p < 0.05). PD patients had a lower risk of death than HD patients (p < 0.001); however, the advantage decreased with time (p < 0.001). Mortality predictors were left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%, older age, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, previous stroke, and atrial fibrillation (p < 0.03). SDs were 84:71 in HD and 13 in PD population (12.1 and 22.8% of all causes of death, respectively). A non-significant risk of SD among PD compared to HD patients was detected. SD predictors were older age, ischemic heart disease, and LVEF ≤35% (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HD patients showed a greater presence of comorbidities and reduced survival compared to PD patients; however, the incidence of SD does not differ in the 2 populations. Video Journal Club "Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco" at http://www.karger.com/?doi=464347.

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The new or direct oral anticoagulants [new oral anticoagulants (NOAC) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC)] were launched in the Italian market in 2013. Although these compounds share common pharmacological indications with vitamin K antagonists (warfarin or acenocumarol), they have different mechanisms of action, do not require a constant anticoagulant monitoring but are more efficacious and safer than vitamin K antagonists. The use of these molecules (Dabigatran, Apixaban, Rivaroxaban, Betrixaban, Edoxaban) is constantly rising in daily practice. However, while available data suggest that NOAC/DOAC use is safe, dosage should be adjusted based on renal or liver function. It should be acknowledged that commonly available blood tests [Prothrombin Time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT)] are not indicated to monitor the anticoagulant activity of these compounds. With the exception of dabigatran, we currently lack of an antidote to reverse the anticoagulant effect of NOAC/DOAC. We herein review available evidence on NOAC/DOAC pharmacokinetic, risk factors for bleeding, interventions to reverse the anticoagulant activity in case of hemorrhages or need of urgent surgery and/or NOAC/DOAC overdose or side effects.

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BACKGROUND: Dialysis is associated with a non-negligible rate of morbidity, requiring treatment customization. Many mathematical models have been developed describing solute kinetics during hemodialysis (HD) for an average uremic patient. The clinical need can be more adequately addressed by developing a patient-specific, multicompartmental model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data from 148 sessions (20 patients), recorded at the Regional Hospital of Lugano, Switzerland, were used to develop and validate the mathematical model. Diffusive and convective interactions among patient, dialysate and substitution fluid were considered. Three parameters, related to mass transfer efficiency at the cell membrane, at the dialyzer and at the capillary wall, were used to tune the model. The ability of the model to describe the clinical evolution of a specific HD session was evaluated by comparing model outputs with clinically acquired data on solutes and catabolite concentrations. RESULTS: The model developed in this study allows electrolyte and catabolite concentration trends during each HD session to be described. The errors obtained before the estimation of the patient-specific parameters drastically decrease after their identification. With the optimized model, plasmatic concentration trends can be described with an average percent error lower than 2.1% for Na+, Cl-, Ca2+ and HCO3-, lower than 5% for K+ and lower than 8% for urea. CONCLUSIONS: The peculiarity of the proposed model is the possibility it offers to perform a real-time simulation enabling quantitative appraisal of hematochemical quantities whose direct measurement is prohibitive. These will be beneficial to dialysis therapy planning, reducing intradialysis complications and improving patients' quality of life.

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BACKGROUND: The incidence of sudden death among dialysis patients is high, but end stage renal disease was an exclusion criterion in the trials that demonstrated the benefit of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for sudden death prevention. METHODS: Dialysis patients alive on January 2010 or starting dialysis between January 2010 and January 2013 were enrolled and retrospectively evaluated. Patients were divided into three groups: No-Indication, Indication-With ICD and Indication-Without ICD. Cox and Fine and Gray regression models were used to estimate the total and cause-specific (sudden or non-sudden) mortality hazard ratio (HR, HR(cpRisk)), respectively. Survival was defined as the time from start of dialysis to the time of death. RESULTS: 154/2072 patients (7.4%) had indication for ICD implantation and 52 (33.8%) of them received the device; 688 (33.2%) deaths were recorded. Mortality was different among groups [Indication-With ICD vs No-Indication: HR 1.59 (95% CI 1.06-2.38) and Indication-Without ICD vs No-Indication: HR 2.67 (95% CI 2.09-3.39, p < 0.001)]. 84/688 (12.2%) were sudden deaths. The cumulative incidence of sudden death was higher in patients with ICD indication [Indication-With ICD vs No-Indication HR(cpRisk) 3.21 (95% CI 1.38-7.40) and Indication-Without ICD vs No-Indication: HR(cpRisk) 4.19 (95% CI 2.38-7.39), p < 0.001], but also No-Indication patients showed a high rate of sudden death [8.5% (95% CI.6.5-10.9) at 8 years of follow-up]. CONCLUSIONS: Dialysis patients with ICD indication had a worse survival than No-Indication subjects and the prognosis was particularly poor for the Indication-Without ICD group. Sudden death incidence was much higher than in the general population, even among No-Indication subjects.

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Multi-resistant drug bacteria are an emerging health care concern around the world. A decreased resistance to infection as seen in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and kidney transplanted patients as well as some metabolic abnormalities such as hyperglycemia and glycosuria or clinical conditions such as the neurogenic bladder may indeed portend a great risk of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI). The common and indiscriminate use of antibiotics often provides the patients with only a transient or partial amelioration of the urinary tract discomforts and increases the risk of multi-resistant drug bacteria selection. Thus a great effort is made in order to develop new antibacterial approaches especially in the setting of multi- antibiotic resistant pathogens. We herein report on some promising yet preliminary results of the use of ozone therapy in UTI.

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