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Background: Dialysis and kidney transplant patients with moderate-severe COVID-19 have a high mortality rate, around 30%, that is similar in the two populations, despite differences in their baseline characteristics. In these groups, the immunology of the disease has been poorly explored., Methods: Thirty-two patients on dialysis or with kidney transplant and SARS-CoV-2 infection requiring hospitalization (COV group) were included in our study. Lymphocyte subsets, dendritic cell (DC) counts and monocyte activation were studied. SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike/anti-nucleocapsid were monitored, and baseline cytokines and chemokines were measured in 10 patients., Results: The COV group, compared to healthy subjects and uninfected dialysis/kidney transplant controls, showed lower numbers of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, Natural-Killer (NK), B cells, plasmacytoid and myeloid DCs, while the proportion of terminally differentiated B-cells was increased. IL6, IL10, IFN-α and chemokines involved in monocyte and neutrophil recruitment were higher in the COV group, compared to uninfected dialysis/kidney transplant controls. Patients with severe disease had lower CD4 + , CD8 + and B-cell counts and lower monocyte HLA-DR expression. Of note, when comparing dialysis and kidney transplant patients with COVID-19, the latter group presented lower NK and pDC counts and monocyte HLA-DR expression. Up to 60 days after symptom onset, kidney transplant recipients showed lower levels of anti-spike antibodies compared to dialysis patients., Conclusions: During SARS-CoV-2 infection, dialysis and kidney transplant patients manifest immunophenotype abnormalities; these are similar in the two groups, however kidney transplant recipients show more profound alterations of the innate immune system and lower anti-spike antibody response., (© 2021. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Italian Society of Nephrology.)

Background: In patients with end stage renal disease and atrial fibrillation (AF), undergoing chronic dialysis, direct oral agents are contraindicated and warfarin does not fully prevent embolic events while increasing the bleeding risk. The high hemorrhagic risk represents the main problem in this population. Aim of the study was to estimate the safety and efficacy for thromboembolic prevention of left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion in a cohort of dialysis patients with AF and high hemorrhagic risk., Methods: Ninety-two dialysis patients with AF who underwent LAA occlusion were recruited. For comparative purposes, two cohorts of dialysis patients with AF, one taking warfarin (oral anticoagulant therapy, OAT cohort, n = 114) and the other not taking any OAT (no-therapy cohort, n = 148) were included in the study. Primary endpoints were (1) incidence of peri-procedural complications, (2) incidence of 2-year thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events, (3) mortality at 2 years. In order to evaluate the effect of the LAA occlusion on the endpoints with respect to the OAT and No-therapy cohorts, a multivariable Cox regression model was applied adjusted for possible confounding factors., Results: The device was successfully implanted in 100% of cases. Two major peri-procedural complications were reported. No thromboembolic events occurred at 2-year follow-up. The adjusted multivariable Cox regression model showed no difference in bleeding risk in the OAT compared to the LAA occlusion cohort in the first 3 months of follow-up [HR 1.65 (95% CI 0.43-6.33)], when most of patients were taking two antiplatelet drugs. In the following 21 months the bleeding incidence became higher in OAT patients [HR 6.48 (95% CI 1.32-31.72)]. Overall mortality was greater in both the OAT [HR 2.76 (95% CI 1.31-5.86)] and No-Therapy [HR 3.09 (95% CI 1.59-5.98)] cohorts compared to LAA occlusion patients., Conclusions: The study could open the way to a non-pharmacological option for thromboembolic protection in dialysis patients with AF and high bleeding risk.

Background: The number of older patients starting 
hemodialysis is continuously increasing. The type of vascular access plays an important role in dialysis treatment, but it can be difficult to create in older patients., Methods: This study compared vascular access survival rates and patient survival rates in older (≥65 years) and younger (<65 years) patients starting hemodialysis in 2 Italian hospitals in 2006-2008., Results: The study enrolled 336 patients: 208 ≥65 years and 128 <65 years of age. The vascular accesses used, in order of frequency, were 102 distal arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) (49%), 55 midarm AVFs (pAVFs) (26%), 9 arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) (4%) and 42 central venous catheters (CVCs) (20%) in the older patients, and 89 dAVFs (69%), 25 pAVFs (19%), 6 AVGs (5%) and 8 CVCs (6%) in the younger patients. Survival rates of fistula and catheter did not differ between the 2 groups. AVGs failed earlier (p = 0.02) in the older patients. On Cox analysis, age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.073; p<0.001) and CVC (HR = 4.152; p<0.001) increased the risk of death., Conclusion: A fistula is the gold standard for hemodialysis vascular access in older patients if judged appropriately.