Search

Ferumoxytol is an ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) particle that is FDA-approved for parenteral treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adults with chronic kidney disease. Because of the association between gadolinium-based contrast agents and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in patients with severe chronic kidney disease, we sought to evaluate the diagnostic role of ferumoxytol-enhanced MR venography in children with chronic kidney disease. Twenty children underwent 22 high-resolution ferumoxytol-enhanced MR venography examinations at 3.0 T. High-resolution 3-D contrast-enhanced imaging was performed at a minimum of 3 time points following injection of ferumoxytol at a total dose of 4 mg/kg. Two blinded pediatric radiologists independently scored six named veins on ferumoxytol-enhanced MR venography examinations according to a three-point subjective score, where a score ≥2 was considered diagnostic. Additionally, all relevant venous structures in the included field of view were analyzed for occlusive or non-occlusive thrombosis, compression and presence of collaterals. All patients underwent ferumoxytol-enhanced MR venography successfully and without adverse event. The overall scores of the reviewing radiologists for all venous structures were 2.7-2.9. In all cases, the reviewers were confident basing their diagnoses on the ferumoxytol-enhanced MR venography findings. In 12 of 22 examinations, findings on follow-up imaging or invasive procedures were available to correlate with the findings on ferumoxytol-enhanced MR venography. There was complete concordance between the findings from follow-up imaging and invasive procedures with findings from ferumoxytol-enhanced MR venography. Ferumoxytol holds promise as a powerful alternative to gadolinium-based contrast agents for reliable, high-resolution MR venography in children with chronic kidney disease.

Outcomes for pediatric SBT patients requiring perioperative RRT in the PICU remain unknown. The objectives were to document our center's experience with PICU SBT patients receiving perioperative RRT and to identify variables predictive of survival to discharge. A retrospective chart review of patients (ages, 0-18 yr) between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2011 that received RRT within a SBT perioperative period and were transplanted at our university-affiliated, tertiary care children's hospital was performed. Six SBT patients received perioperative RRT (ages, 5-12 yr). Three patients (50%) survived to hospital discharge. Among survivors, RRT was required for a total of 1-112 days (mean, 49.7 days). All three survivors survived to hospital discharge without renal transplantation and free of RRT. There was a trend toward increased survival among older patients receiving RRT (p = 0.05). Survivors had a higher I-125 GFR prior to PICU admission (p = 0.045). A higher I-125 GFR prior to PICU admission among survivors may support this test's utility during SBT evaluation. In our experience, a high survival rate and freedom from RRT at the time of discharge support RRT use in the SBT population.

BackgroundExposure to gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been associated with the development of a potentially fatal disorder, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). Although contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) is an alternative to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it carries the risk of radiation exposure and further reduction of residual renal function. Therefore we sought to assess the feasibility of ferumoxytol as an alternative to GBCA for contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA) in a pediatric cohort with CKD. Ferumoxytol is a parenteral iron supplement that contains ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) and is a potent relaxivity agent for MRI.MethodsWe describe the MRI findings in ten pediatric patients who needed detailed vascular mapping. Ferumoxytol (4 mg/kg) was administered intravenously for contrast-enhanced MRA. The patients tolerated the procedure without complications.ResultsResulting studies were highly diagnostic and were pivotal in guiding patient management. The images were notable for clear delineation of multiple vascular occlusions.ConclusionsGiven the concerns associated with the use of GBCAs in renal failure, ferumoxytol is an excellent alternative contrast agent in pediatric end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Future studies are needed in order to further evaluate safety and efficacy of ferumoxytol in this patient population.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), who usually display low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D), are at high risk of infection, notably those undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). We hypothesized that peritoneal macrophages from PD patients are an important target for vitamin D-induced antibacterial activity. Dialysate effluent fluid was obtained from 27 non-infected PD patients. Flow cytometry indicated that PD cells were mainly monocytic (37.9±17.7% cells CD14+/CD45+). Ex vivo analyses showed that PD cells treated with 25D (100 nM, 6 hrs) or 1,25D (5 nM, 6 hrs) induced mRNA for antibacterial cathelicidin (CAMP) but conversely suppressed mRNA for hepcidin (HAMP). PD cells from patients with peritonitis (n = 3) showed higher baseline expression of CAMP (18-fold±9, p

PurposeSeveral observational studies have indicated that vitamin D receptor activators (VDRA), including paricalcitol, are associated with greater survival in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. However, patients with higher serum parathyroid hormone, a surrogate of higher death risk, are usually given higher VDRA doses, which can lead to confounding by indication and attenuate the expected survival advantage of high VDRA doses.MethodsWe examined mortality-predictability of low (>1 but

Interventional trials indicate adverse outcomes when hemoglobin >13 g/dL is targeted in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who receive erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). It is not clear whether high-achieved hemoglobin with minimal to no ESA administration as observed in some patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is also associated with poor outcomes. Survival models were examined to assess the association between hemoglobin increments and mortality in a 6-year cohort of 2,402 PKD and 110,875 non-PKD hemodialysis patients across infrequent versus frequent ESA therapy defined as ESA < 25% of cohort time versus otherwise, respectively. Mortality risk was estimated by Cox proportional regression [hazard ratio (HR) and 95% of confidence interval] analysis. Patients with PKD were aged 58 ± 13 years and included 46% women 14% Blacks, respectively. Fully adjusted death HRs of time-averaged hemoglobin increments 13.0 g/dL exhibits better survival; this incremental survival gain of higher hemoglobin is not observed in patients with PKD receiving frequent ESA administration, in whom hemoglobin concentration > 13 exhibits increased mortality.

BackgroundMaintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) have better survival than non-PKD patients. Mineral and bone disorders (MBD) are associated with accelerated atherosclerosis and cardiovascular death in MHD patients. It is unknown whether the different MBD mortality association between MHD populations with and without PKD can explain the survival differential.MethodsSurvival models were examined to assess the association between different laboratory markers of MBD [such as serum phosphorous, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium and alkaline phosphatase] and mortality in a 6-year cohort of 60,089 non-PKD and 1501 PKD MHD patients.ResultsPKD and non-PKD patients were 57±13 and 62±15 years old and included 46 and 45% women and 14 and 32% Blacks, respectively. Whereas PKD individuals with PTH 150 to

BackgroundSeveral studies have shown an association between erythropoietin-stimulating agent (ESA) responsiveness and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. In our present study, we examined the association between prescribed ESA dose and mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. We hypothesized that PD patients received lower ESA dose for the same achieved hemoglobin compared to HD patients and that ESA dose-mortality associations were different between PD and HD patients.MethodsWe compared the prescribed doses of ESA between 139,103 HD and 10,527 PD patients treated in DaVita dialysis clinics from 7/2001 through 6/2006 using adjusted Poisson regression and examined mortality-predictability of prescribed ESA dose and ESA responsiveness index (ESA/hemoglobin) in PD and HD with follow-up through 6/2007 using Cox regression models.ResultsPoisson adjusted ratio of ESA dose of HD to PD was 3.6 (95% CI 3.5-3.7). In PD patients, adjusted all-cause death hazard ratios (HR) for ESA doses of 3,000-5,999, 6,000-8,999 and ≥9,000 U/week (reference