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Background: Many cases of chronic thoracic central vein occlusion (CVO) fail to recanalize using the standard conventional guidewire technique. This study aims to present the outcomes of sharp recanalization with a transseptal needle in chronic thoracic CVO., Methods: This retrospective study involved 22 hemodialysis patients who developed clinical signs and symptoms of CVO, had unsuccessful conventional endovascular treatment using guidewire, and underwent sharp recanalization with a transseptal needle from January 2018 to December 2021. Demographic information of patients, technical success rate, and complications were kept. Post-intervention primary patency rate was examined using survival regression., Results: Thirteen men and nine women were enrolled with a median age of 50 years (range: 30-83 years). The most common site of thoracic CVO was the right brachiocephalic vein (21 patients). The average length of occlusion was 2.5 cm (range: 1-4.4 cm). Technical success rate was 90.9% (20 patients). Major complications occurred in three instances, including severe hemothorax and pulmonary edema. The median post-intervention primary patency between balloon angioplasty alone and primary stenting was 2.1 and 8.0 months ( p  = 0.015). Post-intervention primary patency rates at 6 and 12 months in the group receiving balloon angioplasty alone versus primary stenting were 33.3% and 0% versus 70.6% and 29.4% ( p  = 0.013)., Conclusion: Sharp recanalization with a transseptal needle is successful in chronic thoracic CVO cases that fail with conventional recanalization. Primary stenting in this CVO lesion shows a greater primary patency compared to balloon angioplasty alone., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the association between admission-corrected serum calcium phosphate (CaPO 4 ) levels and the risks of in-hospital acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality, hypothesizing a dose-dependent relationship between serum CaPO 4 concentrations and the likelihood of developing AKI., Methods: This large retrospective cohort study analyzed hospitalized adult patients who had serum calcium, phosphate, and albumin levels measured within 24 hours of admission between January 2014 and December 2018. Piecewise regression was employed to identify the optimal CaPO 4 cutoff values for predicting in-hospital AKI and mortality. Subsequently, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the risks of in-hospital AKI and mortality associated with these cutoff values., Results: A total of 2,116 patients were included in the study. The incidence rates of AKI for patients with CaPO 4 levels ≤27 and >27 mg 2 /dL 2 were 9.6% and 10.9%, respectively. The bilinear association pattern revealed the lowest risk of AKI at a CaPO 4 level of 27 mg 2 /dL 2 . Piecewise regression analysis showed that each 1 mg 2 /dL 2 increase in CaPO 4 level above the 27 mg 2 /dL 2 cutoff was associated with increased risks of in-hospital AKI and mortality, with OR of 1.048 (95% CI: 1.030-1.065) and 1.048 (95% CI: 1.032-1.065), respectively., Conclusion: Our findings indicate a critical relationship between elevated serum CaPO 4 levels and increased risks of in-hospital AKI and mortality, with a notable cutoff at CaPO 4 >27 mg 2 /dL 2 ., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethics Committee of the Prince of Songkla University issued approval 62-175-14-4. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Jetanapirom et al.)

Background: It is imperative to note that integrated system continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) necessitates a sophisticated and costly apparatus, potentially limiting its availability within resource-limited settings. The introduction of a separated system for continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH), characterized by uncomplicated setup procedures with a hemoperfusion machine, holds promise as a feasible alternative to CRRT for critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI)., Methods: We aimed to retrospectively analyze the effectiveness and safety of separated CRRT applied from a hemoperfusion machine in critically ill patients with AKI during the January 2015 to December 2021 period. We also examine the in-hospital mortality rate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to uncover the factors that affect mortality., Results: We included a total of 129 critically ill patients who received separated system CRRT. The SOFA score at CRRT initiation was 12.6 ± 3.8. The fluid accumulation at the day of CRRT initiation was 3900 mL (622-8172 mL) All patients received pre- and postdilution CVVH. The mean prescribed CRRT dose was 22.4 ± 3.1 mL/kg/h. We found no serious complications including circuit explosion and air embolism. The in-hospital mortality rate was 68.9%. High SOFA score and positive fluid accumulation at CRRT initiation serve as predictors of survival., Conclusions: Separated system CRRT using a hemoperfusion machine provides a simplified system to operate and is proven to be effective and safe in real-life practice, especially in resource-limited areas., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the post-intervention target primary patency of drug-coated balloon angioplasty (DCBA) compared with conventional balloon angioplasty (CBA) in the treatment of the dysfunctional autogenous arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in a real-world clinical setting., Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 24 patients with end-stage renal disease, who developed dysfunctional AVF during hemodialysis, and underwent endovascular treatment using CBA and DCBA from January 1, 2014, to June 30, 2021. The demographic data of patients and details regarding their fistula were recorded. Post-intervention target primary patency was analyzed., Results: Sixteen men and 8 women with an average age of 63.9 ± 14.2 years, who underwent 333 endovascular treatments in 57 target lesions of access were enrolled. DCBA was a protective factor for the treatment of a target lesion of dysfunctional access with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.725 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.528-0.996; P = 0.047). According to the Weibull proportional hazards regression model, DCBA showed a longer post-intervention target primary patency than CBA., Conclusion: DCBA has better outcomes in terms of post-intervention target primary patency in the real-world treatment of dysfunctional autogenous AVF., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s).)

Background: The aim of this study is to perform a cost-utility analysis of separated continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) compared with intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI)., Methods: Cost and clinical data were gathered from adult patients with AKI who received separated CRRT or IHD at a tertiary hospital in Thailand. We applied a Markov model in this study. Our primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). We performed sensitivity analysis to assess the influence of parameter uncertainty., Results: We enrolled 199 critically ill patients with AKI. Of these patients, 129 underwent separated CRRT, and the rest underwent IHD. The mortality rate and dialysis dependence status were not significantly different between the groups. The total costs of separated CRRT were lower than IHD ($73 042.20 vs. $89 244.37). We estimated that separated CRRT increased quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) by 0.21 compared with IHD. The ICER of -74 035.16 USD/QALY gained in the case-based analysis indicated that separated CRRT is superior to IHD due to the lower cost and more cumulative QALYs. After performing sensitivity analysis by varying parameter ranges, separated CRRT remained a cost-saving approach., Conclusions: Separated CRRT is a cost-saving modality compared with IHD in critically ill patients with AKI. This approach can be applied in resource-limited settings., (© 2023 International Center for Artificial Organ and Transplantation (ICAOT) and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: This study aimed to report the 12-month results of drug-eluting stent (DES) for the treatment of significant restenosis of the hemodialysis access., Materials and Methods: A total of 14 patients (seven men and seven women; median age 70 years; range of 50-83 years) with significant restenosis of hemodialysis accesses were enrolled from January 2017 to December 2018. A total of 10 arteriovenous graft (AVG) and four arteriovenous fistulae were treated with DES. Study outcomes included primary patency of the target lesion and circuit., Results: Venous anastomosis of the AVG was the most common target lesion for DES insertion (nine hemodialysis accesses). The range of follow-up time was 12-36 months. Primary patency rates of target lesion before DES (patency for last conventional balloon angioplasty [CBA]) versus target lesion after DES at 6 and 12 months were 29% versus 100% and 7% versus 86% (p < 0.001). Primary patency rates of pre-DES circuit (patency for last CBA) versus post-DES circuit at 6 and 12 months were 29% versus 64% and 7% versus 29%, respectively (p = 0.058)., Conclusion: DES might improve the patency rate of target lesion in patients with significant restenosis of the hemodialysis access., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Catheter-directed treatment is the standard approach for the management of chronic central venous occlusion., Purpose: The objective of this study is to report the outcome of conventional recanalization of chronic central vein occlusion in hemodialysis patients and to determine the predictors for success., Material and Methods: All hemodialysis patients who underwent endovascular recanalization of central vein occlusion from January 2012 to December 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. The procedure was percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Stenting was performed in case of a significant recoil stenosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate central vein patency. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to calculate the predictive factors., Results: Ninety-seven patients (mean age, 61.2 years; range, 25‒89 years old) with 97 central vein occlusions were enrolled. Technical success was achieved in 49 patients (50.5%). The primary patency rates of central veins at 6 and 12 months were achieved in 17 patients (34.4%) and 8 patients (15.8%), respectively. The assisted primary patency rates at 6 and 12 months were achieved in 38 patients (77.3%) and 30 patients (61%), respectively. Patient age ≥60 years and a tapered-type of lesion were significant predictive factors for successful recanalization., Conclusion: Endovascular treatment of the central vein occlusion using a conventional technique is moderately effective and safe. Angioplasty alone and stenting were not significantly different in terms of patency rate. The age of the patients and type of occlusion were significant predictors for successful recanalization., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s).)

Introduction: Sustained low efficiency dialysis (SLED) is an increasingly common treatment option for acute kidney injury (AKI) patients, but there are few studies examining the survival and predictive outcome of this therapy. The study aims to evaluate survival, pre-SLED predictors and complications associated with SLED., Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 91 patients with AKI treated with SLED in a tertiary hospital from January 2014 to August 2018. The primary outcomes were in-hospital and 30-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were the clinical and laboratory pre-SLED characteristics that were associated with survival and complication of SLED., Results: Median survival of AKI patients treated with SLED was 17 days and the 30-day mortality rate was 58%. Pre-SLED serum levels of creatinine (adjusted HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71-0.94), albumin (adjusted HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.4-0.81), potassium (adjusted HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.1-1.73) and number of SLED (adjusted HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-1) served as predictors of survival. Arrhythmia was found 3.3% and intradialytic hypotension in 13.2% of patients. No patient had bleeding complications., Conclusions: Our study found similar in-hospital and 30-day mortality for AKI patients treated with SLED. High pre-SLED levels of serum albumin, creatinine and number of SLED were significantly associated with reduced risk of death and high pre-SLED serum potassium was associated with increased risk of death. These results indicate that SLED is safe treatment, with few haemorrhage and haemodynamic complications.

Objective: To report the results of angioplasty with paclitaxel-coated balloons for the treatment of early restenosis of central veins in hemodialysis patients., Materials and Methods: Sixteen patients (9 men and 7 women; mean age 65.8 ± 14.4 years; range, 40-82 years) with 16 episodes of early restenoses of central veins within 3 months (median patency duration 2.5 months) were enrolled from January 2014 to June 2015. Ten native central veins and 6 intra-stent central veins were treated with double paclitaxel-coated balloons (diameter 6-7 mm) plus a high pressure balloon (diameter 12-14 mm). The study outcomes included procedural success (< 30% residual stenosis) and primary patency of the treated lesion (< 50% angiographic stenosis without re-intervention)., Results: Procedural success was achieved in all 16 cases of central vein stenoses. The mean diameter of the central vein was 3.7 ± 2.4 mm before the procedure vs. 11.4 ± 1.8 mm after the initial procedure. There were no procedure-related complications. The mean diameters of the central veins at 6 months and 12 months were 7.8 ± 1.3 mm and 6.9 ± 2.7 mm, respectively. The primary patency rates at 6 months and 12 months were 93.8% and 31.2%, respectively. One patient had significant restenosis of the central vein at 3 months. The median primary patency period was 9 months for paclitaxel-coated balloons and 2.5 months for the last previous procedure with conventional balloons (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: In our limited study, paclitaxel-coated balloons seem to improve the patency rate in cases of early restenosis of central veins. However, a further randomized control trial is necessary.

Congenital renal artery aneurysm is uncommon. Moreover, renal artery aneurysm concomitant with a congenital renal arteriovenous fistula is extremely rare. Transarterial embolization is the first-line treatment for these conditions. We report a case of a patient with congenital renal artery aneurysm concomitant with a congenital renal arteriovenous fistula of the upper polar left renal artery which was successfully treated by transarterial embolization with coil, glue, and Amplatzer vascular plug.

Introduction: The key to treatment of a thrombosed dialysis graft is restoration and maintenance of function as long as possible. The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of pharmacomechanical thrombolysis and surgical thrombectomy in the treatment of thrombosed haemodialysis grafts., Materials and Methods: During a 3-year period, 108 patients with 114 thrombosed dialysis grafts were referred to our institute for treatment. Fifty thrombosed dialysis grafts underwent pulse-spray catheter thrombolysis using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) with angioplasty, and 64 thrombosed dialysis grafts underwent surgical thrombectomy. The procedural success rates, complications and average patency times and patency rates were compared between the 2 procedures. P values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant., Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the pharmacomechanical thrombolysis group and the thrombectomy group in the procedural success rates (94% and 93.8%, P = 0.15) or average patency times (6.24 months and 6.30 months, P = 0.17). The primary and secondary patency rates at 12 months were 28.0% ± 8.4% and 54.3% ± 7.8% for the thrombolysis with angioplasty group, and 30.0% ± 6.3% and 57.0% ± 4.8% for the thrombectomy group, respectively (P = 0.65 and P = 0.49, respectively). There were no procedural-related major complications., Conclusion: Our study found no differences in outcomes between patients treated with pharmacomechanical thrombolysis and surgical thrombectomy for thrombosed haemodialysis grafts. Pharmacomechanical thrombolysis can be considered as an alternative treatment for dialysis graft thrombosis.

Background: Native arteriovenous fistula is one of the important routes for hemodialysis patients because of increased long-term survival and preservation of quality of life. We reported on a single-center experience with using pharmacomechanical thrombolysis for the treatment of thrombosed native arteriovenous fistula., Material/methods: This was a retrospective study of 12 hemodialysis patients (8 males and 4 females) with 14 thrombosed distal forearm Brescia-Cimino radiocephalic fistulas who were referred for pharmacomechanical thrombolytic treatment in the intervention unit of the Radiology Department, from 1 January 2010 to 30 December 2011. Demographic data, technical success rates, clinical success rates and complications were evaluated. The patency was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis., Results: The technical and clinical success was found in 12 thrombosed fistulas. Only 3 procedures had minor complications including small amounts of adjacent soft tissue hematoma. There were no procedure-related major complications. The primary patency rates at 6 and 12 months were 67% and 50%. The secondary patency rates at 6 and 12 months were 75% and 67%., Conclusions: Pharmacomechanical thrombolysis is a minimally invasive, effective, durable, and safe procedure for the treatment of thrombosed native arteriovenous fistula. This procedure can be considered as an alternative treatment for thrombosed dialysis fistulas.

Albumin dialysis is widely accepted as a liver-support technique for patients with liver failure. The Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System, the widely accepted albumin dialysis technique, has limited use in developing countries because of its technical difficulties and high cost. Therefore, we assessed the efficacy of the more practical modality, the single-pass albumin dialysis (SPAD), in terms of bilirubin reduction, as a marker of albumin-bound toxins removal, as well as the patient outcomes. Twelve acute or acute-on-chronic patients with liver failure who had hyperbilirubinemia (total bilirubin > 20 mg/dL) were treated with SPAD by using 2% human serum albumin dialysate for 6 h. SPAD treatment significantly improved the levels of total bilirubin, conjugated bilirubin, urea, and creatinine (P < 0.001 for all parameters). The reduction ratios of these four parameters were 22.9 +/- 3.8%, 20.9 +/- 5%, 19.0 +/- 4.1%, and 27.7 +/- 3.2%, respectively. No significant difference was observed between serum ammonia before and after treatment. No significant changes in mean arterial pressures were noted during the maneuver, representing cardiovascular tolerability. No treatment-related complications were found. The 15-day in-hospital survival was 16.7%. However, a subgroup of the patients who had moderate severity showed 100% 15-day-survival rate (2 of 2 patients). In conclusion, SPAD is salutarily effective in reducing bilirubin in patients with liver failure. The procedure is safe and simply set up.