Glucose-containing peritoneal dialysis solutions may exacerbate metabolic abnormalities and increase cardiovascular risk in diabetic patients. Here, we examined whether a low-glucose regimen improves metabolic control in diabetic patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Eligible patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 manner to the control group (dextrose solutions only) or to the low-glucose intervention group (IMPENDIA trial: combination of dextrose-based solution, icodextrin and amino acids; EDEN trial: a different dextrose-based solution, icodextrin and amino acids) and followed for 6 months. Combining both studies, 251 patients were allocated to control (n=127) or intervention (n=124) across 11 countries. The primary endpoint was change in glycated hemoglobin from baseline. Mean glycated hemoglobin at baseline was similar in both groups. In the intention-to-treat population, the mean glycated hemoglobin profile improved in the intervention group but remained unchanged in the control group (0.5% difference between groups; 95% confidence interval, 0.1% to 0.8%; P=0.006). Serum triglyceride, very-low-density lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein B levels also improved in the intervention group. Deaths and serious adverse events, including several related to extracellular fluid volume expansion, increased in the intervention group, however. These data suggest that a low-glucose dialysis regimen improves metabolic indices in diabetic patients receiving peritoneal dialysis but may be associated with an increased risk of extracellular fluid volume expansion. Thus, use of glucose-sparing regimens in peritoneal dialysis patients should be accompanied by close monitoring of fluid volume status.

Background Automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) is a growing PD modality but as with other home dialysis methods, the lack of monitoring of patients’ adherence to prescriptions is a limitation with potential negative impact on clinical outcome parameters. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) allowing the clinical team to have access to dialysis data and adjust the treatment may overcome this limitation. The present study sought to determine clinical outcomes associated with RPM use in incident patients on APD therapy. Methods A retrospective cohort study included 360 patients with a mean age of 57 years (diabetes 42.5%) initiating APD between 1 October 2016 and 30 June 2017 in 28 Baxter Renal Care Services (BRCS) units in Colombia. An RPM program was used in 65 (18%) of the patients (APD-RPM cohort), and 295 (82%) were treated with APD without RPM. Hospitalizations and hospital days were recorded over 1 year. Propensity score matching 1:1, yielding 63 individuals in each group, was used to evaluate the association of RPM exposure with numbers of hospitalizations and hospital days. Results After propensity score matching, APD therapy with RPM ( n = 63) compared with APD-without RPM ( n = 63) was associated with significant reductions in hospitalization rate (0.36 fewer hospitalizations per patient-year; incidence rate ratio [IRR] of 0.61 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 – 0.95]; p = 0.029) and hospitalization days (6.57 fewer days per patient-year; IRR 0.46 [95% CI 0.23 – 0.92]; p = 0.028). Conclusions The use of RPM in APD patients is associated with lower hospitalization rates and fewer hospitalization days; RPM could constitute a tool for improvement of APD therapy.

The goal of the Dialysis Outcomes in Colombia (DOC) study was to compare the survival of patients on hemodialysis (HD) vs peritoneal dialysis (PD) in a network of renal units in Colombia. The DOC study examined a historical cohort of incident patients starting dialysis therapy between 1 January 2001 and 1 December 2003 and followed until 1 December 2005, measuring demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables. Only patients older than 18 years were included. As-treated and intention-to-treat statistical analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model. There were 1094 eligible patients in total and 923 were actually enrolled: 47.3% started HD therapy and 52.7% started PD therapy. Of the patients studied, 751 (81.3%) remained in their initial therapy until the end of the follow-up period, death, or censorship. Age, sex, weight, height, body mass index, creatinine, calcium, and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) variables did not show statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups. Diabetes, socioeconomic level, educational level, phosphorus, Charlson Co-morbidity Index, and cardiovascular history did show a difference, and were less favorable for patients on PD. Residual renal function was greater for PD patients. Also, there were differences in the median survival time between groups: 27.2 months for PD vs 23.1 months for HD (P=0.001) by the intention-to-treat approach; and 24.5 months for PD vs 16.7 months for HD (P<0.001) by the as-treated approach. When performing univariate Cox analyses using the intention-to-treat approach, associations were with age > or =65 years (hazard ratio (HR)=2.21; confidence interval (CI) 95% (1.77-2.755); P<0.001); history of cardiovascular disease (HR=1.96; CI 95% (1.58-2.90); P<0.001); diabetes (HR=2.34; CI 95% (1.88-2.90); P<0.001); and SGA (mild or moderate-severe malnutrition) (HR=1.47; CI 95% (1.17-1.79); P=0.001); but no association was found with gender (HR=1.03, CI 95% 0.83-1.27; P=0.786). Similar results were found with the as-treated approach, with additional associations found with Charlson Index (0-2) (HR=0.29; Cl 95% (0.22-0.38); P<0.001); Charlson Index (3-4) (HR=0.61; Cl 95% (0.48-0.79); P<0.001); and SGA (mild-severe malnutrition) (HR=1.43; Cl 95% (1.15-1.77); P<0.001). Similarly, the multivariate Cox model was run with the variables that had shown association in previous analyses, and it was found that the variables explaining the survival of patients with end-stage renal disease in our study were age, SGA, Charlson Comorbidity Index 5 and above, diabetes, healthcare regimes I and II, and socioeconomic level 2. The results of Cox proportional risk model in both the as-treated and intention-to-treat analyses showed that there were no statistically significant differences in survival of PD and HD patients: intention-to-treat HD/PD (HR 1.127; CI 95%: 0.855-1.484) and as-treated HD/PD (HR 1.231; CI 95%: 0.976-1.553). In this historical cohort of incident patients, there was a trend, although not stati...

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Remote patient management (RPM) offers renal health care providers and patients with end-stage kidney disease opportunities to embrace home dialysis therapies with greater confidence and the potential to obtain better clinical outcomes. Barriers and evidence required to increase adoption of RPM by the nephrology community need to be clearly defined. Ten health care providers from specialties including nephrology, cardiology, pediatrics, epidemiology, nursing, and health informatics with experience in home dialysis and the use of RPM systems gathered in Vienna, Austria to discuss opportunities for, barriers to, and system requirements of RPM as it applies to the home dialysis patient. Although improved outcomes and cost-effectiveness of RPM have been demonstrated in patients with diabetes mellitus and heart disease, only observational data on RPM have been gathered in patients on dialysis. The current review focused on RPM systems currently in use, on how RPM should be integrated into future care, and on the evidence needed for optimized implementation to improve clinical and economic outcomes. Randomized controlled trials and/or large observational studies could inform the most effective and economical use of RPM in home dialysis. These studies are needed to establish the value of existing and/or future RPM models among patients, policy makers, and health care providers.

Background: Remote monitoring technology that is specifically designed to be integrated into automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) systems gives both patients and their clinical team a powerful tool that can enhance communication, potentially improve adherence to the treatment, optimize fluid balance, and address potential complications of therapy in near real time. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the implementation and early stages of an APD remote monitoring program as well as some early outcomes associated with this program. Methods: A cross-sectional study in incident and prevalent APD patients older than 18 years, who utilized remote monitoring and was enrolled to Renal Therapy Services Colombia network during the period from January 1 to December 31, 2017. For the analysis, we used descriptive statistics. Results: A program was implemented to provide training in the operation of both the device and the remote monitoring platform. Monitoring indicators were identified for the remote monitoring program to improve the safety and quality of the treatment; these indicators refer to characteristics of the APD prescription, adherence to the APD prescription, and blood pressure control. The adherence to APD treatment was 90.1%. Conclusions: A remote monitoring program for APD patients may be easily and efficiently implemented in health-care settings and may become a useful tool for the continuous improvement of the therapy through the development and monitoring of key clinical indicators.

♦ BACKGROUND: Peritonitis is the most important complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD), and early peritonitis rate is predictive of the subsequent course on PD. Our aim was to calculate the early peritonitis rate and to identify characteristics and predisposing factors in a large nationwide PD provider network in Colombia. ♦ METHODS: This was a historical observational cohort study of all adult patients starting PD between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2013, in 49 renal facilities in the Renal Therapy Services in Colombia. We studied the peritonitis rate in the first 90 days of treatment, its causative micro-organisms, its predictors and its variation with time on PD and between individual facilities. ♦ RESULTS: A total of 3,525 patients initiated PD, with 176 episodes of peritonitis during 752 patient-years of follow-up for a rate of 0.23 episodes per patient year equivalent to 1 every 52 months. In 41 of 49 units, the rate was better than 1 per 33 months, and in 45, it was better than 1 per 24 months. Peritonitis rates did not differ with age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or PD modality. We identified high incidence risk periods at 2 to 5 weeks after initiation of PD and again at 10 to 12 weeks. ♦ CONCLUSION: An excellent peritonitis rate was achieved across a large nationwide network. This occurred in the context of high nationwide PD utilization and despite high rates of socioeconomic deprivation. We propose that a key factor in achieving this was a standardized approach to management of patients.

Latin America is a heterogeneous region comprised of 20 countries, former colonies of European countries, in which Latin-derived languages are spoken. According to the Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension/ Sociedad Latino Americana de Nefrologia e Hipertensión (SLANH), the acceptance rate for renal replacement therapy is 103 new patients per million population. In Latin America, hemodialysis is the predominant form of replacement therapy for end-stage renal disease; however, some countries employ peritoneal dialysis (PD) in 30% or more patients. In particular, Mexico is the country with the largest PD utilization in the world, and furthermore, it is estimated that approximately 25% of the world's PD population may be found Latin America. Data concerning clinical practice and long-term outcome of PD in Latin America are scarce, although regional registries are increasing in number and quality. In this review article, we present an overview of the situation of PD in several countries of Latin America, based on the registry of the SLAHN, national registries, and personal communication with PD experts from different countries.