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Biomedical subjects

D J Goldsmith

Publications and source records attributed to D J Goldsmith.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Long-hours home haemodialysis--the best renal replacement therapy method?

Two hundred and eighty-six patients (190 males and 96 females) with end-stage renal failure (ESRD) started haemodialysis (HD) at Withington Hospital between 1 January 1968 and 31 December 1986. Of these, 152 (53.1%) were successfully transplanted, while 134 had only HD or one transplant lasting < 3 months (i.e. total HD interruption < 3 months). For the whole group, the probabilities of being alive on long-hours home HD at 10 and 20 years were 58.7% and 33.2%, respectively. Mean gross mortality 1968-1986 was 6.5 +/- 3.2% per year. The main causes of death were cardiovascular (36.6%), infection-related (19.2%) and malignancy (9.6%). Males and younger cohorts had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher probability of being alive on long-hours home HD than did females and older cohorts. Eighty-two patients (29% of the total group) survived more than 10 years, of whom 54 were still alive at 1 January 1996: 44 continuing on HD while the other ten had been successfully transplanted. In these 54 patients, mean 24-h ambulatory blood pressure recorded at the date of the study was 117.6/68.9 mmHg; mean BP for the last 5 years on HD was 136.4/81.2 mmHg. Only four (7.4%) were regularly taking antihypertensive medication. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (by ECG) was present in 64.8% of the 54 patients; its prevalence by echocardiography (LVM index > 130 g/m2 for men and > 110 g/m2 for women) was 77.5%. Only 10 (18.5%) had symptoms or clinical signs of ischaemic heart disease and/or peripheral vascular disease. None had cardiac failure symptoms NYHA class 3-4. Our data show a low incidence of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, confirming those from the Tassin unit in France, and make a medical case for extended haemodialysis treatment hours.

Adolescent↗

The treatment of nephrotic syndrome caused by primary (light chain) amyloid with vincristine, doxorubicin and dexamethasone.

Three out of four patients with primary (light chain) amyloid nephrotic syndrome treated with vincristine, doxorubicin and dexamethasone (VAD) induction obtained a partial response and are alive in continuing remission at 4.1, 6.5 and 9.3 years. These preliminary results are of considerable interest and suggest that prospective evaluation of this regimen is warranted in patients with this condition.

Aged↗

Urea kinetic modelling--are any of the 'bedside' Kt/V formulae reliable enough?

BACKGROUND: Longevity on dialysis is determined by many factors. One of these has increasingly been seen to be 'dialysis dose'. There are several methods for calculating dialysis dose. We wanted prospectively to test 'gold-standard' UKM-Kt/V with various shortcut bedside formulae, to see whether reliance on the latter approach was likely to lead to errors in over- or underprescribing dialysis regimens. METHODS: Ten bedside formulae for the calculation of Kt/V (urea) were compared with UKM Kt/V values, in a month-long study involving 507 dialysis sessions in 50 patients in a single-centre in-patient haemodialysis unit. RESULTS: For patients with UKM Kt/V<0.8 (median 0.69, n=140), simplified formulae had a difference (delta) of 0.094-0.396 from the calculated UKM resulting in an inter-method variability ranging from 13 to 57%. The least difference was seen with the Calzavara formula (P=NS), maximum difference with the Barth formulae (P<0.05). No statistically significant differences were seen when comparing Daugirdas 1 and 2 and Keshaviah formulae with UKM, for patients with UKM Kt/V<0.8. For patients with UKM Kt/V in the range 0.8-1.4 (median 1.06, n=285) the extreme recorded values from simplified formulae were 0.012 (least different) and 0.245 (most different) from the UKM mean, with an inter-method variability ranging between 1.1% (Basile method) to 23.1% (Calzavara). No statistically significant difference were seen when comparing Daugirdas 1 and 2, Keshaviah, and Lowrie formulae with UKM, for patients with UKM Kt/V 0.8-1.4. For patients with the highest UKM Kt/V values (>1.4; median 1.58, n=72), all simplified formulae gave Kt/V values lower than UKM Kt/V: the minimum difference was 0.070 using Jindal (P=NS, intermethod variability of 4.4%), while the maximum was seen when using Calzavara (P<0.05; difference = 0.69; intermethod variability of 43.7%). There was also no statistically significant difference for Basile and Kerr methods. For the group as a whole the biggest difference from UKM mean values was obtained using Barth's and Calzavara's formulae (delta of 0.171 and 0.140 respectively (P<0.05)). CONCLUSIONS: The best correlations were seen with the Daugirdas 2 formula (r2=0.953). Also, comparing grouped formulae containing ln(Co/Ct) terms with those incorporating the (Co-Ct)/Co ratio (i.e. the urea reduction) there was a better correlation for all formulae employing the logarithmic transformation (r2=0.951-0.953 cf. r2=0.939-0.940). Nevertheless no bedside formula had the accuracy of UKM-Kt/V.

Adult↗

Progression of diabetic nephropathy--is diurnal blood pressure rhythm as important as absolute blood pressure level?

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive non-diabetic patients who lack the normal nocturnal decline in blood pressure ('non-dippers') have an increased incidence of cardiovascular complications. Poor blood pressure control is known to exacerbate the decline in glomerular filtration rate in patients with diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of abnormal blood pressure diurnal rhythm to the progression of diabetic nephropathy. We retrospectively studied 26 diabetic patients with hypertension, proteinuria and relentless progressive impairment of renal function due to diabetic nephropathy between 1990 and 1996. Patients underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and were classified as either 'dippers' or 'non-dippers' according to their blood pressure diurnal rhythm. Dippers were patients whose mean sleeping blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) was 10% less than blood pressure whilst awake. Weight, glycated haemoglobin, serum creatinine (micromol/l) and blood pressure (mmHg) were recorded on a 3-monthly basis. Twenty four hour urine protein excretion and creatinine clearance were recorded annually. The rate of decline of creatinine clearance was derived from serum creatinine estimation. RESULTS: In the 'dipper' group, the rate of decline of creatinine clearance was -2.9 ml/min/year and in those with abnormal blood pressure diurnal rhythm it was -7.9 ml/min/year (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in day-time mean blood pressures, glycated haemoglobin, age and numbers with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: We found that there was a profound effect of non-dipping upon the rate of decline of renal function in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Adult↗

Rifampicin-induced acute renal failure: a series of 60 patients.

BACKGROUND: Since 1971, 55 case-reports of rifampicin-induced ARF have been published, but systematic data on this condition are not available, in view of the disparate nature of the observations. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed prevalence, clinical and biochemical features, and prognostic factors of 60 consecutive cases (41 males/19 females, age 22-68 years), who were admitted to the Iasi Dialysis Centre from 1987 to 1995 for acute renal failure (ARF) following re-treatment with rifampicin. RESULTS: The clinical appearance consisted mainly of gastrointestinal and 'flu-like' symptoms and clinical signs of intravascular haemolysis (the latter in 17% of cases). Frequent laboratory findings were anaemia (96% of cases), leukocytosis (63%), and thrombocytopenia (50%). Severe anaemia was associated with marked haemolysis (25% cases), thrombocytopenia, longer anuria, and slower rate of renal function recovery. Signs of hepatic injury were found in 25% of patients, but it did not seem to affect the outcome of renal function. Prognostic factors in post-rifampicin ARF proved to be the following: the duration of the anuric phase (correlated with the number of dialysis sessions and with the rate of decrease of azotaemia) and the severity of the immunological abnormalities and inflammatory syndrome (haemolysis, leukocytosis, hypergammaglobulinaemia). Post-rifampicin ARF accounted for 16.6% of all ARF cases hospitalized in our Centre during the studied period. Its clinical course was favourable; the mortality rate was only 1.6% (1 case), compared to a 20% general mortality rate among all ARF patients. Full recovery of renal function was achieved in 40% and 96% of patients, 30 and 90 days respectively from onset. CONCLUSIONS: ARF after treatment with rifampicin is not an uncommon condition, especially when tuberculosis prevalence is high, but renal prognosis is usually favourable. Thrombocytopenia, immune haemolytic anaemia, and intravascular haemolysis are frequent complications which are associated with a more severe renal injury.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Maintenance of adequate dialysis in a patient with peritoneal calcification using tidal peritoneal dialysis.

A case report of a 50-year-old woman who has been treated with peritoneal dialysis for 9 years, with a short period off dialysis following transplantation. The patient had long-standing secondary hyperparathyroidism and had declined parathyroidectomy, she had had two episodes of peritonitis in the preceding eight years. She presented with blood-stained dialysate effluent and intermittent abdominal pain. Investigation revealed widespread peritoneal calcification with large plaques of calcium on the visceral peritoneum. She was treated with tidal automated peritoneal dialysis; adequate creatinine clearances have been maintained and the patient has had little further abdominal pain and bleeding. In this report we have illustrated an unusual complication of peritoneal dialysis, peritoneal calcification, and suggest that tidal peritoneal dialysis is a useful therapeutic tool in such cases.

Calcinosis↗

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in renal dialysis and transplant patients.

Blood pressure (BP) elevation and left ventricular hypertrophy are important factors in the high cardiovascular mortality rate in patients on the renal replacement program. Ambulatory BP monitoring is widely regarded as superior to random BP monitoring in predicting end-organ damage from elevated BP. One hundred seventeen patients (60 on hemodialysis [35 with long sessions and 25 with short sessions], 29 on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, and 28 transplant recipients) underwent ambulatory BP monitoring, with target organ assessment by electrocardiography. Mean 24-hour BP for the patients with the long hemodialysis sessions (LHD) was 115.5/66.6 mm Hg, without the regular use of antihypertensive drugs. The parathormone (PTH) level was the major determinant of BP on ambulatory BP monitoring analysis, with interdialytic weight gain and age each having weaker associations. The BPs of the other three patient cohorts were much higher (short hemodialysis session [SHD], 143.2/82.1 mm Hg; continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, 137.1/76.8 mm Hg; transplant recipients, 135.9/79.2 mm Hg). Overall, two thirds of the patients had reduced diurnal BP variability. Electrocardiogram voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy were exceeded in approximately one third to one half of the patients. Our findings show that good control of BP is possible without recourse to antihypertensive drugs in the context of dialysis with slow ultrafiltration.

Blood Pressure↗

Bicarbonate therapy and intracellular acidosis.

1. The correction of metabolic acidosis with sodium bicarbonate remains controversial. Experiments in vitro have suggested possible deleterious effects after alkalinization of the extracellular fluid. Disequilibrium of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate across cell membranes after alkali administration, leading to the phenomenon of 'paradoxical' intracellular acidosis, has been held responsible for some of these adverse effects. 2. Changes in intracellular pH in suspensions of leucocytes from healthy volunteers were monitored using a fluorescent intracellular dye. The effect in vitro of increasing extracellular pH with sodium bicarbonate was studied at different sodium bicarbonate concentrations. Lactic acid and propionic acid were added to the extracellular buffer to mimic conditions of metabolic acidosis. 3. The addition of a large bolus of sodium bicarbonate caused intracellular acidification as has been observed previously. The extent of the intracellular acidosis was dependent on several factors, being most evident at higher starting intracellular pH. When sodium bicarbonate was added as a series of small boluses the reduction in intracellular pH was small. Under conditions of initial acidosis this was rapidly followed by intracellular alkalinization. 4. Although intracellular acidification occurs after addition of sodium bicarbonate to a suspension of human leucocytes in vitro, the effect is minimal when the conditions approximate those seen in clinical practice. We suggest that the observed small and transient lowering of intracellular pH is insufficient grounds in itself to abandon the use of sodium bicarbonate in human acidosis.

Acidosis, Lactic↗

An investigation of the effect of advancing uraemia, renal replacement therapy and renal transplantation on blood pressure diurnal variability.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory blood pressure recordings have been shown to correlate better with target organ damage than have isolated clinic blood pressure readings. There have been some small studies demonstrating that abnormal blood pressure diurnal rhythm is common in uraemia and in patients on renal replacement therapy. Abnormal blood pressure diurnal rhythm itself may be a risk factor for accelerated target organ damage. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 480 ambulatory blood pressure recordings in 380 patients with essential hypertension, secondary hypertension, and on renal replacement therapy. We examined diurnal blood pressure rhythm in each group. RESULTS: Abnormal blood pressure diurnal rhythm (non-dipping) is significantly more prevalent in patients with underlying renal disease, even with normal excretory renal function (53%) than in age-, sex-, and race-matched controls with essential hypertension ((30%), P < 0.01). In patients with renal disease the prevalence of non-dipping rose with worsening renal function, reaching statistical significance once plasma creatinine was greater than 400 mumol/l. There was a direct correlation between plasma creatinine and percent decline in blood pressure at night for both systolic (r = 0.23) and diastolic (r = 0.24) blood pressure in patients with underlying renal disease and impaired excretory renal function. High prevalences of abnormal diurnal BP rhythm are seen in patients on haemodialysis (82%), peritoneal dialysis (78%), patients with plasma creatinine > 600 mumol/l (75%), and in renal transplant recipients (74%). CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal blood pressure diurnal rhythm ('non-dipping') is significantly more common in secondary than in primary hypertension, even with normal renal function. Abnormal blood pressure diurnal rhythm becomes increasingly common with advancing uraemia. Once the plasma creatinine is greater than 600 mumol/l the prevalence of non-dipping is the same as that seen with renal replacement therapy. This phenomenon is not modulated by successful renal transplantation.

Adult↗