Salomón Algranati

Effect of the embolization of completely unpurified islets on portal vein pressure and hepatic biochemistry in clinical practice.

Here we report on the impact of completely unpurified islet transplantation on the portal vein pressure (PVP) and the hepatic biochemistry in the peritransplant period and on follow-up. Type I diabetic patients underwent simultaneous kidney and islet transplantation. Islets were not purified from the acinar tissue to prevent loss of endocrine mass. Each patient received a mean 521,846 ± 201,539.4 islet equivalents (7812.1 islet equivalents/kg/recipient). Immunosuppression and peritransplant medication were given according to the Giessen protocol. The islets were injected into the left hepatic lobe through the umbilical vein. PVP was recorded at time 0 and every 5 min throughout cell infusion. Liver function was assessed daily for the first 10 days, and on follow-up. Basal, peak, and final PVP were 12 ± 3.8, 25.1 ± 7.9, and 19.5 ± 6.2 mmHg, respectively (basal vs. final, p < 0.05). Bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, prothrombin time, and APTT stayed within normal range. Peak aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and serum amylase were 109.4 ± 61.2 IU/L (basal vs. peak, not significant), 79.5 ± 56.9 IU/L (basal vs. peak, not significant), and 887.5 ± 153.6 IU/L (basal vs. peak, p = 0.02), respectively. In all cases AST, ALT, and amylase normalized within 6 days posttransplant and remained so on follow-up (longest control, 33 months posttransplant). Although the intrahepatic infusion of unpurified pancreatic islets affects both the portal vein pressure and the hepatic biochemical profile, this effect is transient and does not compromise the safety of the procedure.

Elimination and clearance of pamidronate by haemodialysis (Brief Communication)

SUMMARY:  Pamidronate (APD), a third‐generation bisphosphonate, has proven to be useful in haemodialysis (HD) patients with ectopic calcifications and hypercalcaemia. Little is known about bisphosphonates clearance in patients undergoing HD. The authors’ main objective was to study HD removal and clearance of APD. In total, 23 HD‐requiring anuric end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) adult individuals (12 men) aged 61.7 ± 13 (mean ± SD) years were admitted into the study. APD clearance and elimination were evaluated by 99mTechnetium APD (half‐life 6 h). In total, 1 mg of labelled APD was injected via the arteriovenous graft prior to the start of HD. Blood samples were then drawn from the arterial (predialyser) and venous (postdialyser) lines of the extracorporeal circuit 2 h after the HD onset. In a subgroup of patients (n: 15) the dialysate was collected and quantified during the three initial HD hours. Venous APD concentrations (postdialyser) were 72 + 7% of arterial (predialyser) concentrations. Mean APD clearance was 69.3 + 16.6 mL/min, and mean APD extraction during dialysis session was 31.6 + 10.1%. In the present study involving HD‐requiring anuric ESRD patients APD was successfully eliminated by HD. At the dose administered here none of the participants reported adverse events. APD is a potentially useful drug to be administered to HD‐requiring ESRD patients, the understanding of its removal during HD as well as its dialytic clearance allows for a safer management of a drug that is usually eliminated by renal excretion.

Treatment of Uremic Hyperparathyroidism with Percutaneous Ethanol Injection

The percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) with ultrasound guidance has been suggested for the treatment of patients with hyperparathyroidism who are on dialysis, with the aim of selectively treating the parathyroid glands with nodular hyperplasia. We present our experience in 25 patients with chronic renal failure followed during 13.4 ± 10.6 months. A decrease in the levels of parathormone (PTH) (1,236.32 ± 129.8 vs. 721.66 ± 142.24 pg/ml), phosphatemia (6.16 ± 0.35 vs. 4.93 ± 0.36 mg/dl) and calcium-phosphorous product (60.82 ± 3.81 vs. 46.47 ± 3.46 mg2/dl2) was verified. In 56% of patients, PTH levels decreased (>50% of the baseline value) and 36% had final values <300 pg/ml. Patients in whom ultrasound showed a single gland responded better than those with more than one gland (83.3 vs. 30.8% of responders in each group). The procedures performed had a 4.9% complication rate: hematoma, symptomatic hypocalcemia, temporary paresis of the vocal cords. In summary, treatment with PEI is useful for the management of patients with hyperparathyroidism who are on dialysis, and the results achieved are better in patients who have a single gland identified by ultrasonography.

Refractory hyperkalemia in peritoneal dialysis

In peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients hyperkalemia is an unusual complication (0.8% in CAPD) [1], while hypokalemia is frequent, affecting approximately 30% of this population, even when the potassium removal by dialysis does not justify this phenomenon [2, 3]. The latter situation could be due to the shift of potassium into the intracellular space, probably because of the insulin released during the continuous glucose infusion from the dialysis solution [4]. Patients on CAPD have been shown to have a higher intracellular potassium content than hemodialysis patients [5]. In this letter we report two PD patients who developed severe and persistent hyperkalemia which required several consecutive dialysis sessions before the potassium levels returned to normal. This complication is rare in patients on chronic dialysis in the absence of any source of internal release of potassium such as bleeding or cytolysis. Both patients were young women (27 and 30 years of age); the first was on CAPD for five months after five years of renal transplant and the other was on CAPD for four years. They were anuric but adequately dialyzed with 9 L/day and 11 L/day respectively and without any previous episode of hyperkalemia. In order to lose weight, both patients started on a diet based on fruit and vegetables without the knowledge of the medical staff. Hyperkalemia was detected on a routine, clinical visit. They had no evidence of infection, bleeding, hemolysis, rhabmyolysis or any other kind of cell breakdown. Both patients were treated initially with salbutamol nebulization and frequent exchanges of manual peritoneal dialysis. However, because hyperkalemia persisted we decided to provide a more effective dialysis. The first patient was dialyzed with a 4–8 cycler session (2 L/hour, K free dialysate) and the other with a 2–3 hours of hemodialysis with a 2.2 potassium mmol/l dialyzate. In both cases, these measTable 1. Change in plasma potassium (mM/L) in the course of treatment

Factores determinantes de una baja dosis de hemodiálisis establecida por dialisancia iónica en pacientes críticos con insuficiencia renal aguda

BACKGROUND Estimating the dialysis dose is a requirement commonly used to assess the quality of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), this value is not always evaluated and it has been estimated that the prescribed dose is seldom obtained. Reports addressing this issue in AKI individuals are scarce and most have not included an adequate number of patients or treatments, nor were patients treated with extended therapies. Kt values obtained by the ionic dialysance method have been validated for the evaluation of the dialysis dose and it has also been shown that, compared with Kt/V, this is the most sensitive strategy for revealing inadequate dialysis treatment in critically ill AKI individuals. The main aim of this study was to assess the difference between the prescribed and the administered dialysis dose in critically ill AKI patients, and to evaluate what factors determine this gap using Kt values assessed through ionic dialisance. MATERIAL AND METHOD Data from 394 sessions of renal replacement therapy in 105 adult haemodialysis (HD) patients with oliguric acute kidney injury and admitted to ICU were included in this analysis. RRT was carried out with Fresenius 4008E dialysis machines equipped with on-line clearance monitoring (OCM® Fresenius), which use non-invasive techniques to monitor the effective ionic dialysance, equivalent to urea clearance. The baseline characteristics of the study population as well as the prescription and outcome of RRT were analysed. These variables were included in a multivariate model in which the dependent variable was the failure to obtain the threshold dose (TD). RESULTS The main baseline characteristics of the study population/treatments were: age 66 ± 15 years, 37% female, most frequent cause of AKI: sepsis (70%). Low BP and/or vasoactive drug requirement (71%), mechanical ventilation (70%) and average individual severity index: 0.7 ± 0.26. Two hundred and one intermittent HD (IHD) and 193 extended HD (EHD) sessions were performed; the most frequently used temporary vascular access was the femoral vein catheter (79%). Prescribed Kt was 53.5 ± 14L and 21% of prescriptions fell below the TD. Sixty-one percent of treatments did not fulfill the TD (31 ± 8L) compared with 56 ± 12L obtained in the subgroup that achieved the target. Compared to IHD, EHD provided a significantly larger Kt (46 ± 16L vs 33L ± 9L). Univariate analysis showed that inadequate compliance was associated with age (>65y), male gender, intra-dialytic hypotension, low Qb, catheter line reversal, and IHD. The same variables with the exception of age and gender were independently associated in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS The dialysis dose obtained was significantly lower than that prescribed. EHD achieved values closer to the prescribed KT and significantly higher than in IHD. Ionic Kt measurement facilitates monitoring and allows HD treatments to be extended based upon a previously established TD. Besides the chosen strategy to dispense the dose of dialysis, a well-functioning vascular access allowing for optimal blood flow and other approaches aimed at avoiding hemodynamic instability during RRT are the most important factors to achieve TD, mainly in elderly male patients. The dialysis dose should be prescribed and monitored for all critically ill AKI patients.