Videolaparoscopy prolongs peritoneal catheter survival by treating directly the causes of malfunction. In patients with preceding abdominal interventions, the PD catheter can be placed safely even in cases necessitating surgical preparation like adhesiolysis.

Post-dialysis fatigue is frequent and associated with age and ADL. Dialytic variables seem unrelated to PDF.

Introduction: The present study aimed to determine the variables that are associated with a longer dialysis recovery time (DRT) and to define the relationship that exists between DRT and the ultrafiltration rate (UFR) in prevalent chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients. Methods: We studied 210 prevalent CHD of 5 hemodialysis units in Central Italy. Patients were invited to answer to the question: “How long does it take you to recover from a dialysis session?” Answers to this question were subsequently converted into minutes. Demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters were recorded for each patient as well as the UFR (mL/kg/h), the dialysate sodium concentration and temperature. Results: Median DRT was 180 min (60–420). Ninety five (45%) patients had a DRT ≥ the median value. Mean UFR was 9.2 ± 3.0 mL/kg/h. Patients with a lower DRT had a less prevalent disability in the instrumental activities daily living, had a higher UFR, and a lower dialysate temperature, as compared with subjects with higher DRT. According to the logistic regression model, UFR was associated with a DRT below the median (i.e., 180) in the unadjusted model (OR 1.12; 95% CI 1.02–1.23; p = 0.019), after adjusting for age and sex (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.01–1.22; p = 0.025), and in the fully adjusted model (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.04–1.22; p = 0.040). UFR increase was associated with increasing probability of DRT below the median (p for trend = 0.035). The highest tertile of DRT was associated with UFR below the mean value (i.e., 9.2 mL/kg/h) in multinomial logistic regression having the lowest DRT tertile as reference. DRT was significantly lower in patients with UFR > 13 mL/kg/h than in patients with UFR 10–13 or < 10 mL/kg/h. Conclusion: DRT is inversely associated with UFR in CHD patients. Whether a high UFR should be recommended to reduce the DRT needs to be elucidated through an adequate prospective randomized study.

Many HDP have daily dietary intakes of trace elements and vitamins below the recommended values, whereas the intake of copper is much higher.

Long-term dialysis treatment can be associated with several musculoskeletal complications. Entheseal involvement in dialysis patients remains rarely studied as its prevalence is underestimated due to its often asymptomatic presentation. The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of subclinical enthesopathy in haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients at the lower limb level, to investigate the inter-observer reliability of ultrasound assessment and to analyse the influence of biometric and biochemical parameters. Ultrasound examination was conducted at the entheses of the lower limbs level in 33 asymptomatic dialysis patients and 33 healthy adopting the Glasgow Ultrasound Enthesitis Scoring System (GUESS). The inter-observer reliability was calculated in 15 dialysis patients. Ultrasound found at least one sign of enthesopathy in 165 out of 330 (50%) entheses of dialysis patients. In healthy subjects, signs of enthesopathy were present in 54 out of 330 (16.3%) entheses (p < 0.0001). No power Doppler signal was detected in healthy controls, in contrast to four of 330 entheses of dialysis patients. No US signs of soft tissue amyloid deposits were found. The GUESS score was significantly higher in dialysis patients than in controls (p < 0.0001). There was no difference in terms of enthesopathy between haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Dialysis duration resulted to be the most important predictor for enthesopathy (p = 0.0004), followed by patient age (p = 0.02) and body mass index (p = 0.035). Parathormone, calcium, phosphorus, C-reactive protein, cholesterol and triglycerides apparently did not play a relevant role in favour of enthesopathy. The inter-observer reliability showed an excellent agreement between sonographers with different degree of experience. Our results demonstrated a higher prevalence of subclinical enthesopathy in both haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients than in healthy subjects. Follow-up will provide further information with respect to the predictive value of US findings for the development of symptomatic dialysis-related arthropathy.

The aim of the present study was to determine the intensity, duration, frequency and prevalence of postdialysis fatigue (PDF) in patients on chronic hemodialysis (PCD) with and without functional disability. Patients underwent assessment of functional ability by the Katz ADL (activity daily living) questionnaire and the Lawton and Brody scale for the instrumental activity daily living (IADL) fatigue using the SF-36 Vitality Subscale, comorbidity through the Charlson comorbidity score index (CDI), and time of recovery after hemodialysis (TIRD). We studied 271 PCD. ADL and IADL disabilities were present in 75 (27.6%) and 168 (62%) patients, respectively. Patients with ADL disability were significantly older and showed higher CDI scores, and lower levels of serum albumin and Kt/V. Prevalence of PDF was significantly higher in patients with ADL disability as well as its severity, intensity, duration and frequency. Patients with IADL disability were significantly older, had a higher CCI score, had lower levels of serum albumin and Kt/V, and had a higher severity, intensity, duration and frequency of PDF. At multivariate regression analysis, ADL disability was positively associated with age, prevalence and severity of PDF, and dialysate temperature and inversely associated with serum albumin levels. IADL disability was instead positively associated with age and dialysate temperature and inversely associated with serum albumin levels. In conclusion, prevalence and severity of PDF are significantly higher in PCD with ADL disability than in those without it. This knowledge may have important implications for the development of interventions to reduce PDF in PCD.

Bossola M., Di Stasio E., Monteburini T., et al. (2020). Intensity, duration, and frequency of post-dialysis fatigue in patients on chronic haemodialysis. Journal of Renal Care 46(2), 115-123. S U M M A R YBackground: Although frequent and debilitating, little is known about the characteristics of post-dialysis fatigue (PDF). Objective: To characterise the intensity, duration and frequency of PDF and the associated variables in patients on chronic haemodialyses. Design: Prospective, observational and multicenter study. Patients: We studied 271 patients. Measurements: Patients were considered to be suffering from PDF if they spontaneously offered this complaint when asked the open-ended question: "Do you feel fatigued after dialysis? Then, each patient was invited to rate the intensity, duration and frequency of PDF from 1 to 5. Results: One hundred sixty-four patients (60.5%) had PDF. The median [95% confidence interval (CI)] scores of PDF intensity, duration and frequency were 3 (3-4), 3 (3-4) and 4 (4-4), respectively. The median (95% CI) of the sum of the scores (Sum Score) of PDF intensity, duration and frequency was 11 (10-12). Seventy four patients had a Sum Score ≥ 12. Using multiple regression analysis, PDF intensity was associated with dialytic age and ultrafiltration rate (UFR), PDF duration with dialytic age, while PDF fatigue frequency was associated with height. The Sum Score was associated with dialytic age and recovery time and negatively associated with daily activity, height and UFR (ml/kg/h). Conclusion: The intensity, duration and frequency of PDF are high in a large percentage of patients, suggesting that PDF is an intense event in terms of quantity and quality. Understanding the relationship between the variables associated with PDF and its intensity, duration and frequency may help better understand the underlying mechanisms of this burdensome condition. K E Y W O R D S Haemodialyses⦁ Fatigue ⦁ Post-dialysis ⦁ Recovery time ⦁ Ultrafiltration rate

In general, the laparoscopic technique is associated with longer operative times, higher costs and the need to utilize general anesthesia. It is, however, the preferred method when rescuing malfunctioning catheters and may increase the PD patient population in patients with previous abdominal surgeries. The dialysis access surgeon should be familiar with both open and laparoscopic techniques and appropriately choose the ideal method based upon the individual patient and institutional resources.