Search

Home dialysis modalities (home hemodialysis [HD] and peritoneal dialysis [PD]) are associated with greater patient autonomy and treatment satisfaction compared with in-center modalities, yet the level of home-dialysis use worldwide is low. Reasons for limited utilization are context-dependent, informed by local resources, dialysis costs, access to healthcare, health system policies, provider bias or preferences, cultural beliefs, individual lifestyle concerns, potential care-partner time, and financial burdens. In May 2021, KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) convened a controversies conference on home dialysis, focusing on how modality choice and distribution are determined and strategies to expand home-dialysis use. Participants recognized that expanding use of home dialysis within a given health system requires alignment of policy, fiscal resources, organizational structure, provider incentives, and accountability. Clinical outcomes across all dialysis modalities are largely similar, but for specific clinical measures, one modality may have advantages over another. Therefore, choice among available modalities is preference-sensitive, with consideration of quality of life, life goals, clinical characteristics, family or care-partner support, and living environment. Ideally, individuals, their care-partners, and their healthcare teams will employ shared decision-making in assessing initial and subsequent kidney failure treatment options. To meet this goal, iterative, high-quality education and support for healthcare professionals, patients, and care-partners are priorities. Everyone who faces dialysis should have access to home therapy. Facilitating universal access to home dialysis and expanding utilization requires alignment of policy considerations and resources at the dialysis-center level, with clear leadership from informed and motivated clinical teams.

BACKGROUND: An urgent need exists to improve the suboptimal COVID-19 vaccine response in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). We aimed to compare three alternative strategies with a control single dose mRNA-1273 vaccination: a double vaccine dose, heterologous vaccination, and temporary discontinuation of mycophenolate mofetil or mycophenolic acid.METHODS: This open-label randomised trial, done in four university medical centres in the Netherlands, enrolled KTRs without seroconversion after two or three doses of an mRNA vaccine. Between Oct 20, 2021, and Feb 2, 2022, 230 KTRs were randomly assigned block-wise per centre by a web-based system in a 1:1:1 manner to receive 100 μg mRNA-1273, 2 × 100 μg mRNA-1273, or Ad26.COV2-S vaccination. In addition, 103 KTRs receiving 100 μg mRNA-1273, were randomly assigned 1:1 to continue (mycophenolate mofetil+) or discontinue (mycophenolate mofetil-) mycophenolate mofetil or mycophenolic acid treatment for 2 weeks. The primary outcome was the percentage of participants with a spike protein (S1)-specific IgG concentration of at least 10 binding antibody units per mL at 28 days after vaccination, assessed in all participants who had a baseline measurement and who completed day 28 after vaccination without SARS-CoV-2 infection. Safety was assessed as a secondary outcome in all vaccinated patients by incidence of solicited adverse events, acute rejection or other serious adverse events. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05030974 and is closed.FINDINGS: Between April 23, 2021, and July 2, 2021, of 12 158 invited Dutch KTRs, 3828 with a functioning kidney transplant participated in a national survey for antibody measurement after COVID-19 vaccination. Of these patients, 1311 did not seroconvert after their second vaccination and another 761 not even after a third. From these seronegative patients, 345 agreed to participate in our repeated vaccination study. Vaccination with 2 × mRNA-1273 or Ad26.COV2-S was not superior to single mRNA-1273, with seroresponse rates of 49 (68%) of 72 (95% CI 56-79), 46 (63%) of 73 (51-74), and 50 (68%) of 73 (57-79), respectively. The difference with single mRNA-1273 was -0·4% (-16 to 15; p=0·96) for 2 × mRNA-1273 and -6% (-21 to 10; p=0·49) for Ad26.COV2-S. Mycophenolate mofetil- was also not superior to mycophenolate mofetil+, with seroresponse rates of 37 (80%) of 46 (66-91) and 31 (67%) of 46 (52-80), and a difference of 13% (-5 to 31; p=0·15). Local adverse events were more frequent after a single and double dose of mRNA-1273 than after Ad26.COV2-S (65 [92%] of 71, 67 [92%] of 73, and 38 [50%] of 76, respectively; pINTERPRETATION: Repeated vaccination increases SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in KTRs, without further enhancement by use of a higher dose, a heterologous vaccine, or 2 weeks discontinuation of mycophenolate mofetil or mycophenolic acid. To achieve a stronger response, possibly required to neutralise new virus variants, repeated booster vaccination is needed.FUNDING: The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development and the Dutch Kidney Foundation.

Introduction After decades of increasing dialysis incidence, we observed a decreasing trend in the Netherlands in the last decade. We compared this trend with trends in other European countries. Materials and Methods Aggregated data for calendar years 2001–2019 from the Dutch registries of kidney replacement therapy patients and the European Renal Association Registry were used. Dialysis incidence in the Netherlands was compared with that in 11 other European countries/regions using three age groups: 20–64, 65–74, and ≥75 years, taking into account pre-emptive kidney transplantation (PKT) incidence. Time trends were assessed as annual percentage change (APC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using joinpoint regression analysis. Results Between 2001 and 2019 the Dutch dialysis incidence decreased slightly among patients aged 20–64 years (APC −0.9, 95% CI −1.4; −0.5). For patients 65–74 and ≥75 years old, a peak was seen in 2004 and 2009, respectively. Afterwards, the decrease was most marked in patients aged ≥75 years: APC −3.2 (−4.1; −2.3) versus APC −1.8 (−2.2; −1.3) for patients 65–74 years old. PKT incidence increased significantly during the study period but remained limited compared to the observed decrease in dialysis incidence, especially among older patients. Large differences in dialysis incidence were observed among European countries/regions. A decreasing dialysis incidence among older patients was also seen in Austria, Denmark, England/Wales, Finland, Scotland, and Sweden. Conclusions The Dutch dialysis incidence decreased most profoundly among older patients. This was also observed in several other European countries/regions. Although PKT incidence increased, it can only explain a minor part of the decrease in dialysis incidence.

Barriers to accessing home dialysis became a matter of life and death for many patients with kidney failure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the more commonly used home therapy option. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of PD catheter insertion procedures as performed around the world today, barriers impacting timely access to the procedure, the impact of COVID-19 and a roadmap of potential policy solutions. To substantiate the analysis, the article includes a survey of institutions across the world, with questions designed to get a sense of the regulatory frameworks, barriers to conducting the procedure and impacts of the pandemic on capability and outcomes. Based on our research, we found that improving patient selection processes, determining and implementing correct insertion techniques, creating multidisciplinary teams, providing appropriate training and sharing decision making among stakeholders will improve access to PD catheter insertion and facilitate greater uptake of home dialysis. Additionally, on a policy level, we recommend efforts to improve the awareness and feasibility of PD among patients and the healthcare workforce, enhance and promulgate training for clinicians—both surgical and medical—to insert PD catheters and fund personnel, pathways and physical facilities for PD catheter insertion.

Aim: Over the past years the proportion of home dialysis patients has decreased in the Netherlands. In addition, the home dialysis use varies significantly among centres. It is unclear whether this is the result of differences in comorbidity, or other factors. Our aim was to investigate the association between comorbidity and dialysis modality choice. Methods: The multi-centre DOMESTICO cohort study collected comorbidity data of patients who started dialysis in 35 Dutch centres from 2012 to 2016. Comorbidity was assessed by the Charlson comorbidity index. Home dialysis was defined as any peritoneal dialysis or home haemodialysis treatment during follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between comorbidity and dialysis modality, with a mixed model approach to adjust for clustering of patients within dialysis centres. Results: A total of 1358 patients were included, of whom 628 were treated with home dialysis. In crude mixed model analyses, the probability of receiving home dialysis was lower when comorbidity score was higher: having a high comorbidity score resulted in an odds ratio of 0.74 (95% CI 0.54–1.00) when compared with patients without comorbidities. After adjustments for age, sex, ethnic background, body mass index and dialysis vintage, there was no association between comorbidity and home dialysis. Conclusion: Comorbidity was not significantly associated with home dialysis choice, after adjustment for several confounding factors including age and body mass index. Future studies should aim at unravelling the centre-specific characteristics that probably play a role in dialysis modality choice.

Background: In Europe, the number of elderly end-stage kidney disease patients is increasing. Few of those patients receive peritoneal dialysis (PD), as many cannot perform PD autonomously. Assisted PD programmes are available in most European countries, but the percentage of patients receiving assisted PD varies considerably. Hence, we assessed which factors are associated with the availability of an assisted PD programme at a centre level and whether the availability of this programme is associated with proportion of home dialysis patients. Methods: An online survey was sent to healthcare professionals of European nephrology units. After selecting one respondent per centre, the associations were explored by χ 2 tests and (ordinal) logistic regression. Results: In total, 609 respondents completed the survey. Subsequently, 288 respondents from individual centres were identified; 58% worked in a centre with an assisted PD programme. Factors associated with availability of an assisted PD programme were Western European and Scandinavian countries (OR: 5.73; 95% CI: 3.07–10.68), non-academic centres (OR: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.09–3.72) and centres with a dedicated team for education (OR: 2.87; 95% CI: 1.35–6.11). Most Eastern & Central European respondents reported that the proportion of incident and prevalent home dialysis patients was 30% for both incident and prevalent home dialysis patients. Availability of an assisted PD programme was associated with a higher incidence (cumulative OR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.21–3.01) and prevalence (cumulative OR: 2.81; 95% CI: 1.76–4.47) of patients on home dialysis. Conclusions: Assisted PD was more commonly offered among non-academic centres with a dedicated team for education across Europe, especially among Western European and Scandinavian countries where higher incidence and prevalence of home dialysis patients was reported.

Introduction: Dialysis patients are often prescribed a large number of medications to improve metabolic control and manage coexisting comorbidities. However, some studies suggest that a large number of medications could also detrimentally affect patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, this study aims to provide insight in the association between the number of types of medications and HRQoL in dialysis patients. Methods: A multicentre cohort study was conducted among dialysis patients from Dutch dialysis centres 3 months after initiation of dialysis as part of the ongoing prospective DOMESTICO study. The number of types of medications, defined as the number of concomitantly prescribed types of drugs, was obtained from electronic patient records. Primary outcome was HRQoL measured with the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score and Mental Component Summary (MCS) score (range 0–100) of the Short Form 12. Secondary outcomes were number of symptoms (range 0–30) measured with the Dialysis Symptoms Index and self-rated health (range 0–100) measured with the EuroQol-5D-5L. Data were analysed using linear regression and adjusted for possible confounders, including comorbidity. Analyses for MCS and number of symptoms were performed after categorizing patients in tertiles according to their number of medications because assumptions of linearity were violated for these outcomes. Results: A total of 162 patients were included. Mean age of patients was 58 ± 17 years, 35% were female, and 80% underwent haemodialysis. The mean number of medications was 12.2 ± 4.5. Mean PCS and MCS were 36.6 ± 10.2 and 46.8 ± 10.0, respectively. The mean number of symptoms was 12.3 ± 6.9 and the mean self-rated health 60.1 ± 20.6. In adjusted analyses, PCS was 0.6 point lower for each additional medication (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: −0.9 to –0.2; p = 0.002). MCS was 4.9 point lower (95% CI: −8.8 to –1.0; p = 0.01) and 1.0 point lower (95% CI: −5.1–3.1; p = 0.63) for the highest and middle tertiles of medications, respectively, than for the lowest tertile. Patients in the highest tertile of medications reported 4.1 more symptoms than in the lowest tertile (95% CI: 1.5–6.6; p = 0.002), but no significant difference in the number of symptoms was observed between the middle and lowest tertiles. Self-rated health was 1.5 point lower for each medication (95% CI: −2.2 to –0.7; p < 0.001). Discussion/Conclusion: After adjustment for comorbidity and other confounders, a higher number of medications were associated with a lower PCS, MCS, and self-rated health in dialysis patients and with more symptoms.

Background: Most pre-dialysis patients are medically eligible for home dialysis, and home dialysis has several advantages over incentre dialysis. However, accurately selecting patients for home dialysis appears to be difficult, since uptake of home dialysis remains low. The aim of this study was to investigate which medical or psychosocial elements contribute most to the selection of patients eligible for home dialysis. Methods: All patients from a Dutch teaching hospital, who received treatment modality education and subsequently started dialysis treatment, were included. The pre-dialysis programme consisted of questionnaires for the patient, nephrologist and social worker, followed by an assessment of eligibility for home dialysis by a multidisciplinary team. Clinimetric assessment and logistic regression were used to identify domains and questions associated with home dialysis treatment. Results: A total of 135 patients were included, of whom 40 were treated with home dialysis and 95 with incentre haemodialysis. The key elements associated with long-term home dialysis treatment were part of the domains ‘suitability of the housing’, ‘self-care’, ‘social support’ and ‘patient capacity’, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 0.13 for negative to 18.3 for positive associations. Conclusion: The assessment of contraindications by a nephrologist followed by the assessment of possibilities by a social worker or dialysis nurse who investigates four key elements, ideally during a home visit, and subsequent detailed education offered by specialized nurses is an optimal way to select patients for home dialysis.

Background: There are various options for managing end-stage kidney disease. Each option impacts the lives of patients differently. When weighing the pros and cons of the different options, patients’ values, needs and preferences should, therefore, be taken into account. However, despite the best intentions, nephrologists may, more or less deliberately, convey a treatment preference and thereby steer the decision-making process. Being aware of such implicit persuasion could help to further optimise shared decision-making (SDM). This study explores verbal acts of implicit persuasion during outpatient consultations scheduled to make a final treatment decision. These consultations mark the end of a multi-consultation, educational process and summarise treatment aspects discussed previously. Methods: Observations of video-recorded outpatient consultations in nephrology ( n = 20) were used to capture different forms of implicit persuasion. To this purpose, a coding scheme was developed. Results: In nearly every consultation nephrologists used some form of implicit persuasion. Frequently observed behaviours included selectively presenting treatment options, benefits and harms, and giving the impression that undergoing or foregoing treatment is unusual. The extent to which nephrologists used these behaviours differed. Conclusion: The use of implicit persuasion while discussing different kidney replacement modalities appears diverse and quite common. Nephrologists should be made aware of these behaviours as implicit persuasion might prevent patients to become knowledgeable in each treatment option, thereby affecting SDM and causing decisional regret. The developed coding scheme for observing implicit persuasion elicits useful and clinically relevant examples which could be used when providing feedback to nephrologists.

Background: Phosphate binders cause high pill burden for dialysis patients, complicate medication regimens, and have unpleasant taste and large size which may affect patients' quality of life. This study explores the association between phosphate binder pill burden and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in dialysis patients. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional multi-centre cohort study in 21 Dutch dialysis centres. Phosphate binder pill burden was extracted from electronic patient records. Primary outcome was HRQoL measured with the Short Form 12 physical and mental component summary scores (PCS and MCS). Secondary endpoints were severity of gastro-intestinal symptoms, itching, dry mouth, and mental health symptoms, measured with the Dialysis Symptom Index. Results: Of 388 included patients, aged 62 ± 16 years, 77% underwent haemodialysis. PCS scores were comparable for patients with and without phosphate binders. Patients using 1–3 pills reported lower scores for decreased appetite (β −0.5; 95%CI −0.9 to −0.2), implying better appetite, than patients without phosphate binders. Patients using 4–6 pills also reported lower scores for decreased appetite (β −0.5; 95%CI −0.8 to −0.1) and for itching (β −0.5; 95%CI −0.9 to −0.1). Patients using >6 pills reported lower MCS (β −2.9; 95%CI −6.2–0.4) and higher scores for feeling nervous (β 0.6; 95%CI 0.1–1.1) and feeling sad (β 0.4; 95%CI 0.0–0.9). Conclusion: Phosphate binder pill burden is not associated with physical quality of life. A higher pill burden is associated with better appetite and less itching. Patients using >6 pills per day report lower mental quality of life and felt nervous and sad more often.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Central venous catheters (CVC) remain a commonly used vascular access option in haemodialysis, despite guidelines advising to preferably use arteriovenous fistulae. Compared to younger patients, the risk-benefit ratio of CVC in older patients might be more beneficial, but previous studies mainly focussed on catheter-related bacteraemia and/or assessed tunnelled CVC (TCVC) only. This study's aim was to compare all catheter-related infections and malfunctions in older patients with younger patients using all CVC subtypes. METHOD We used data from DUCATHO, a multicentre observational cohort study in the Netherlands. All adult patients in whom a CVC was placed for haemodialysis between 2012–2016 were included. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of catheter-related infections, comparing patients aged ≥ 70 years with patients aged RESULTS A total of 1595 patients with 2731 CVC (66.5% NTCVC, 33.1% TCVC) were included. Of these patients, 1001 (62.8%) were aged CONCLUSION Patients aged ≥ 70 years and

Candida species form biofilms, facilitating adherence to peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters and making them less susceptible to antifungal therapy. Therefore, the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis recommends immediate PD catheter removal in case of Candida peritonitis. However, in 2007, our institution showed that Candida peritonitis could be successfully treated without catheter removal with a treatment strategy including amphotericin B as catheter lock. To confirm the efficacy and safety of this lock-based protocol, we evaluated the outcome of Candida peritonitis episodes since then. A retrospective, single-centre study was conducted in which we analysed all Candida peritonitis episodes in PD patients, treated with the lock-based protocol between July 2006 and March 2018. Eleven non-relapse Candida peritonitis episodes in 10 patients were treated with the lock-based protocol. Seven of the 11 episodes (64%) were cured without PD catheter removal (5 episodes cured immediately, 1 episode cured after an early relapse and 1 episode cured after a late relapse), in 2 episodes (18%) the catheter had to be removed, and two patients died (18%). This study confirms our previous findings that an amphotericin B lock-based protocol has potential to cure Candida peritonitis without PD catheter removal. However, further research is needed given the limitations of this study. Until that time, the lock-based Candida protocol could be used in patients who are not severely ill and in whom PD catheter removal is not desirable.

Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) encompasses a group of disorders in which a monoclonal immunoglobulin (M-protein) secreted by a B-cell or plasma cell clone causes renal disease. Proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits (PGNMID) is a form of MGRS where M-protein is deposited in the glomerulus. Although evidence is limited, the current consensus is that therapy for PGNMID should be directed against the underlying clone. However, it is conceivable that there is heterogeneity in the renal prognosis of PGNMID and that not all patients have need for clone-directed therapy. Here, we report two cases of PGNMID with IgM-kappa gammopathy. In one case of a 53-year-old woman the glomerulonephritis resolved without clone-directed therapy. In the other case of a 34-year-old woman clone-directed therapy was discontinued due to adverse effects. Although no hematological response was achieved, the PGNMID resolved. In both cases there are no signs of a recurrent glomerulonephritis in over 3 years of follow-up. Here, we review the literature and suggest that some PGNMID patients have a favorable renal prognosis in whom clone-directed therapy can be withheld or postponed. Further research is warranted to yield predictors to identify these patients and to better understand the disease course of PGNMID.

BackgroundNon-dialytic conservative care (CC) has been proposed as a treatment option for patients with kidney failure. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims at comparing survival outcomes between dialysis and CC in studies where patients made an explicit treatment choice.MethodsFive databases were systematically searched from origin through 25 February 2021 for studies comparing survival outcomes among patients choosing dialysis versus CC. Adjusted and unadjusted survival rates were extracted and meta-analysis performed where applicable. Risk of bias analysis was performed according to the Cochrane Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions.ResultsA total of 22 cohort studies were included covering 21 344 patients. Most studies were prone to selection bias and confounding. Patients opting for dialysis were generally younger and had fewer comorbid conditions, fewer functional impairments and less frailty than patients who chose CC. The unadjusted median survival from treatment decision or an estimated glomerular filtration rate ConclusionsPatients opting for dialysis have an overall lower mortality risk compared with patients opting for CC. However, a high risk of bias and heterogeneous reporting preclude definitive conclusions and results cannot be translated to an individual level.

A study of adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) suggests that the current criteria for CKD may result in overestimation of the CKD burden in an aging population with age-related loss of kidney function. Therefore, an age-adjusted formula for GFR (glomerular filtration rate) should be implemented in clinical practice. We agree that in older patients physiological loss of kidney function should be taken into account, however an age-adjusted formula would not be superior. Even in older patients with mild chronic kidney disease (eGFR60 ml/min/1.73m2) dose adjustments are necessary for renally excreted drugs. So far, an age-adjusted formula for older patients does not better predict clinically relevant renal outcomes. Based on the current Dutch guideline older patients with mildly impaired GFR without albuminuria will not be referred to specialized nephrology care, unless there is rapid deterioration. Finally, an age-adjusted formula may unnecessarily complicate the current categories of CKD.

Background Although the number of patients with end-stage kidney disease is growing, the number of patients who perform dialysis at home has decreased during the past two decades. The aim of this study was to explore time trends in the use of home dialysis in the Netherlands. Methods Dialysis episodes of patients who started dialysis treatment were studied using Dutch registry data (RENINE). The uptake of home dialysis between 1997 through 2016 was evaluated in time periods of 5 years. Home dialysis was defined as start with peritoneal dialysis or home haemodialysis, or transfer to either within 2 years of dialysis initiation. All analyses were stratified for age categories. Mixed model logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for clustering at patient level. Results A total of 33 340 dialysis episodes in 31 569 patients were evaluated. Mean age at dialysis initiation increased from 62.5 +/- 14.0 to 65.5 +/- 14.5 years in in-centre haemodialysis patients, whereas it increased from 51.9 +/- 15.1 to 62.5 +/- 14.6 years in home dialysis patients. In patients = 65 years, the incidence of home dialysis remained constant, whereas mortality decreased. Conclusions In patients

Background Dialysis withdrawal is a common cause of death in dialysis-dependent patients. This study aims to describe dialysis withdrawal practice in The Netherlands, focussing on time trends, risk factors and centre variation. Methods Data were retrieved from the Dutch registry of kidney replacement therapy patients. All patients who started maintenance dialysis and died in the period 2000–2019 were included. The main outcome was death after dialysis withdrawal; all other causes of death were used for comparison. Time trends were analysed as unadjusted data (proportion per year) and the year of death was included in a multivariable logistic model. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors associated with withdrawal. Centre variation was compared using funnel plots. Results A total of 34 692 patients started dialysis and 18 412 patients died while on dialysis. Dialysis withdrawal was an increasingly common cause of death, increasing from 18.3% in 2000–2004 to 26.8% in 2015–2019. Of all patients withdrawing, 26.1% discontinued treatment within their first year. In multivariable analysis, increasing age, female sex, haemodialysis as a treatment modality and year of death were independent factors associated with death after dialysis withdrawal. Centre variation was large (80.7 and 57.4% within 95% control limits of the funnel plots for 2000–2009 and 2010–2019, respectively), even after adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusions Treatment withdrawal has become the main cause of death among dialysis-dependent patients in The Netherlands, with large variations between centres. These findings emphasize the need for timely advance care planning and improving the shared decision-making process on choosing dialysis or conservative care.

Introduction: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) remains underutilised and unplanned start of dialysis further diminishes the likelihood of patients starting on PD, although outcomes are equal to haemodialysis (HD). Methods: A survey was sent to members of EuroPD and regional societies presenting a case vignette of a 48-year-old woman not previously known to the nephrology department and who arrives at the emergency department with established end-stage kidney disease (unplanned start), asking which dialysis modality would most likely be chosen at their respective centre. We assessed associations between the modality choices for this case vignette and centre characteristics and PD-related practices. Results: Of 575 respondents, 32.8%, 32.2% and 35.0% indicated they would start unplanned PD, unplanned HD or unplanned HD with intention to educate patient on PD later, respectively. Likelihood for unplanned start of PD was only associated with quality of structure of the pre-dialysis program. Structure of pre-dialysis education program, PD program in general, likelihood to provide education on PD to unplanned starters, good collaboration with the PD access team and taking initiatives to enhance home-based therapies increased the likelihood unplanned patients would end up on PD. Conclusions: Well-structured pre-dialysis education on PD as a modality, good connections to dedicated PD catheter placement teams and additional initiatives to enhance home-based therapies are key to grow PD programs. Centres motivated to grow their PD programs seem to find solutions to do so.

Background Recommendations regarding dialysis education and treatment are provided in various (inter)national guidelines, which should ensure that these are applied uniformly in nephrology and dialysis centers. However, there is much practice variation which could be explained by good practices: practices developed by local health care professionals, which are not evidence-based. Because an overview of good practices is lacking, we performed a scoping review to identify and summarize the available good practices for dialysis education, treatment, and eHealth. Methods Embase, Pubmed, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL databases and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles using all synonyms for the words ‘kidney failure’, ‘dialysis’, and ‘good practice’. Relevant articles were structured according to the categories dialysis education, dialysis treatment or eHealth, and assessed for content and results. Results Nineteen articles (12 for dialysis education, 3 for dialysis treatment, 4 for eHealth) are identified. The good practices for education endorse the importance of providing complete and objective predialysis education, assisting peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients in adequately performing PD, educating hemodialysis (HD) patients on self-management, and talking with dialysis patients about their prognosis. The good practices for dialysis treatment focus mainly on dialysis access devices and general quality improvement of dialysis care. Finally, eHealth is useful for HD and PD and affects both quality of care and health-related quality of life. Conclusion Our scoping review identifies 19 articles describing good practices and their results for dialysis education, dialysis treatment, and eHealth. These good practices could be valuable in addition to guidelines for increasing shared-decision making in predialysis education, using patients’ contribution in the implementation of their dialysis treatment, and advanced care planning.

Background Non-dialytic conservative care (CC) has been proposed as a viable alternative to maintenance dialysis for selected older patients to treat end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). This systematic review compares both treatment pathways on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms, which are major outcomes for patients and clinicians when deciding on preferred treatment. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Plus and PsycINFO from inception to 1 October 2019 for studies comparing patient-reported HRQoL outcomes or symptoms between patients who chose either CC or dialysis for ESKD. Results Eleven observational cohort studies were identified comprising 1718 patients overall. There were no randomized controlled trials. Studies were susceptible to selection bias and confounding. In most studies, patients who chose CC were older and had more comorbidities and worse functional status than patients who chose dialysis. Results were broadly consistent across studies, despite considerable clinical and methodological heterogeneity. Patient-reported physical health outcomes and symptoms appeared to be worse in patients who chose CC compared with patients who chose dialysis but had not yet started, but similar compared with patients on dialysis. Mental health outcomes were similar between patients who chose CC or dialysis, including before and after dialysis start. In patients who chose dialysis, the burden of kidney disease and impact on daily life increased after dialysis start. Conclusions The available data, while heterogeneous, suggest that in selected older patients, CC has the potential to achieve similar HRQoL and symptoms compared with a dialysis pathway. High-quality prospective studies are needed to confirm these provisional findings.

Background and Aims Recommendations regarding dialysis education and treatment are provided in various (inter)national guidelines, which should ensure that these are applied uniformly in nephrology and dialysis centers. However, there is much practice variation which could be explained by good practices: practices developed by local health care professionals, which are not evidence-based. Because an overview of good practices is lacking, we performed a scoping review to identify and summarize the available good practices for dialysis education, treatment and eHealth. Method Embase, Pubmed, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles using all synonyms for the words ‘kidney failure’, ‘dialysis’ and ‘good practice’. Relevant articles were structured according to the categories dialysis education, dialysis treatment or eHealth, and assessed for content and results. Results Nineteen articles (12 for dialysis education, 3 for dialysis treatment, 4 for eHealth) are identified. The good practices for education endorse the importance of providing complete and unbiased predialysis education, assisting PD patients in adequately performing PD, educating HD patients on self-management, and talking with dialysis patients about their prognosis. The good practices for dialysis treatment focus mainly on dialysis access devices and general quality improvement of dialysis care. Finally, eHealth is useful for HD and PD and affects both quality of care and health-related quality of life. Conclusion The results of our scoping review can inspire nephrological health care professionals to change their practices and these good practices could be used in addition to guidelines. It is important to increase the attention for local good practices, because they can truly support health care professionals and can improve outcomes and quality of life for patients, even if they are not evidence-based.

Background and Aims End stage kidney disease (ESKD) and dialysis treatment are associated with high morbidity, frequently resulting in hospitalisation. However, studies comparing hospitalisation between different dialysis modalities report conflicting results. Some studies report an equal number and length of hospital admissions, while others conclude that peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are more likely to be hospitalised. In addition, most studies only analyse data of patients that remain on their initial dialysis modality. However, a transition from one dialysis modality to another, e.g. from PD to in-centre haemodialysis (ICHD), certainly occurs in current dialysis practice. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare hospitalisations between PD and ICHD patients, taking into account transfers between dialysis modalities. Method The retrospective Dutch nOcturnal and hoME dialysis Study To Improve Clinical Outcomes (DOMESTICO) collected hospitalisation data of ESKD patients who started dialysis treatment between 2012 and 2017. Eligible patients had a minimum dialysis duration of 3 months. For baseline comparison, groups were defined based on the dialysis modality (i.e. PD or ICHD) 3 months after dialysis initiation. Primary outcome was hospitalisation rate, which was analysed with a multi-state model that attributed each hospitalisation to the dialysis modality the patient was treated with at that the time. Secondary outcomes were time to first hospitalisation, number of hospitalisations and length of hospitalisation. Time to first hospitalisation was analysed with Cox regression analysis, with dialysis modality as a time-varying covariate. Number of hospitalisations was analysed with negative binomial regression, and length of stay with Poisson regression. All analyses were adjusted for potential confounders. Results In total, 252 PD and 443 ICHD patients from 31 Dutch dialysis centres were included. Baseline characteristics of the groups were comparable, apart from a lower dialysis vintage and a slightly lower comorbidity score in the PD group. Patients transferred more often from PD to ICHD (33%), than from ICHD to PD (11%) during a median follow-up period of 22.0 months [IQR 11.1-36.4]. The crude hospitalisation rate for PD was 2.3 (±5.0) and for ICHD 1.4 (±3.2) hospitalisations per patient-year. Using a multistate model, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for hospitalisation rate was 1.1 (95%CI 1.02-1.3) for PD compared to ICHD patients. Cox regression analysis showed a significant difference in time to first hospitalisation with an adjusted HR of 1.3 (95%CI 1.1 - 1.6) for PD compared to ICHD patients in the first year after dialysis initiation. After the first year, the time to first hospitalisation had an adjusted HR of 1.9 (95%CI 1.4–2.5) for PD compared to ICHD patients. The number of hospitalisations was significantly higher, while the length of stay was non-significantly higher for PD patients. In PD patients, the most common cause of all hospitalisations was peritonitis (23%). In ICHD patients, the most common cause was access-related (33%). Conclusion PD was associated with a higher hospitalisation rate, a shorter time to first hospitalisation and more hospitalisations compared to ICHD. One explanation might be that the threshold for admission to hospital is lower for PD patients compared to ICHD patients.

Background and Aims Older patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk for a severe course of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and vulnerable to mental health problems. We aimed to investigate prevalence and associated patient (demographic and clinical) characteristics of mental wellbeing (health-related quality of life [HRQoL] and symptoms of depression and anxiety) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in older patients with advanced CKD. Method An ongoing Dutch multicentre prospective cohort study enrols patients of ≥70 years with an eGFR Results The 82 included patients had a median age of 77.5 years (inter-quartile range 73.9-82.1), 77% was male and none had tested positive for COVID-19. Cross-sectionally, 67% of the patients reported to be more anxious for COVID-19 because of their kidney disease, and 43% of the patients stated that their quality of life was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Figure 1). Higher COVID-19-related stress was associated with a lower education level (p=0.036), and patients who reported to feel more down due to COVID-19 were more often female (p=0.020). Anxiety scores were higher among females compared to males (median 4.0 [IQR 3.0-9.0] versus 2.0 [0.0-6.0], p=0.020), and weakly associated to a decline in eGFR (correlation coefficient 0.197, p=0.023). Compared to pre-COVID-19, presence of depressive symptoms had increased (11% to 22%; p=0.022) and physical HRQoL declined (40.4±10.1 to 36.1±10.4, p Conclusion Our findings show that older patients with advanced CKD suffered from disease-related anxiety for COVID-19, increased depressive symptoms, and reduced physical HRQOL during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the pandemic on this vulnerable patient group extends beyond increased mortality risk, and awareness of mental health problems during the pandemic is essential. More in-depth investigation on disease-related COVID-19 concerns and its implications for the CKD population is needed.

Background and Aims Dialysis patients are often prescribed a large number of medications to improve metabolic control and manage co-existing comorbidities. However, several studies suggest that a large number of medications can also detrimentally affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, this study aims to provide insight in the association between the number of medications and various aspects of HRQoL in dialysis patients. Method A multicentre study was conducted among dialysis patients from Dutch dialysis centres three months after initiation of dialysis as part of the ongoing prospective DOMESTICO study. The number of medications, defined as the number of concomitantly prescribed types of drugs, was obtained from electronic patient records. Primary outcome was HRQoL measured with the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score and Mental Component Summary (MCS) score (range 0-100) of the Short Form 12. Secondary outcomes were number of symptoms (range 0-30) measured with the Dialysis Symptoms Index and self-rated health (range 0-100) measured with the visual analogue scale of the EuroQol-5D-5L. Data were analysed using linear regression and adjusted for possible confounders, including age, sex, dialysis modality, and comorbidity. Analyses for MCS and number of symptoms were performed after categorising patients in tertiles according to their number of medications because assumptions of linearity were violated for these outcomes. Results A total of 162 patients were included. Mean age of patients was 58 ± 17 years, 35% were female, and 80% underwent haemodialysis. The mean number of medications was 12.2 ± 4.5. Mean PCS and MCS were 36.6 ± 10.2 and 46.8 ± 10.0, respectively. The mean number of symptoms was 12.3 ± 6.9 and mean self-rated health 60.1 ± 20.6. In adjusted analyses, PCS was 0.6 point lower for each additional medication (95%CI -0.9 – -0.2; p=0.002). MCS was 4.9 point lower (95%CI -8.8 – -1.0; p=0.01) and 1.0 point lower (95%CI -5.1 – 3.1; p=0.63) for the highest and middle tertiles of medications, respectively, compared to the lowest tertile. Patients in the highest tertile of medications reported 4.1 more symptoms compared to the lowest tertile (95%CI 1.5 – 6.6; p=0.002) but no significant difference in the number of symptoms was observed between the middle and lowest tertile. Self-rated health was 1.5 point lower for each medication (95%CI -2.2 – -0.7; p Conclusion After adjustment for comorbidity and other confounders, a higher number of medications was associated with a lower PCS, MCS, and self-rated health in dialysis patients and with more symptoms. This suggests that it may be relevant to weigh expected therapeutic benefits of medication against their possible harmful effects on HRQoL. An unfavourable balance between expected benefits and impact on HRQoL might be ground to deviate from clinical guidelines, especially for patients with a limited life-expectancy and for whom a kidney transplant is unattainable.

Background and Aims Treatment withdrawal is an important cause of death among dialysis-dependent patients. Widely variable withdrawal rates were reported in studies using varying designs and definitions in culturally different regions of the world, limiting comparability of individual studies. Cessation of life-prolonging treatment is a well-accepted option in the Netherlands, however it is unclear if these premises result in higher dialysis withdrawal rates and if this effect is generalisable. This study aims to describe dialysis withdrawal practice in the Netherlands, focussing on time trends and practice variation between centres. Method Patient data was retrieved from RENINE, the Dutch national registration which includes nearly all patients requiring dialysis for at least 28 days. All patients who initiated maintenance dialysis from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2020, and died within this period were included for analysis. Since the primary aim of this study concerned cause of death on dialysis, data of patients in whom dialysis was stopped due to kidney transplantation or recovery of kidney function, were excluded. Main outcome was death by dialysis withdrawal, as registered by the treating physician using ERA-EDTA codes. Other causes of death were used as comparison. Time trends for dialysis withdrawal were first analysed as unadjusted data (proportion per year). Univariable logistic regression analyses were then used to identify factors associated with dialysis withdrawal, including year of death in five-year strata. A multivariable model was subsequently used to determine risks, adjusting for factors associated with dialysis withdrawal. Centre variation was compared visually by using funnel plots. Results A total of 34.692 patients commenced maintenance dialysis of which 20.389 died. After applying exclusion criteria, a cohort of 18.412 patients was used for analysis. Dialysis withdrawal was an increasingly common cause of death, increasing from 13.5% in 2000 to 31.2% in 2019 (22.1% overall). In multivariable analysis, increasing age, female sex, increasing dialysis vintage, haemodialysis as treatment modality, and year of death were independent factors associated with death by dialysis withdrawal. Centre variation was large, even after correction for confounding factors (36.6% outside 95% control limits). Conclusion Treatment withdrawal has become the main cause of death in the Netherlands among dialysis-dependent patients during 2000-2020. Large practice variations were observed between centres, even after correction for confounding factors. These findings emphasize the need for timely advance care planning and urge treating health care professionals to better inform their patients when choosing to start dialysis or not.

Additional file 1: Table S1. The Dialysis Symptom Index.

Additional file 2: Table S2. Categories for mortality, using ERA-EDTA codes, based on the United Kingdom Renal Registry.

Additional file 3: Table S3. Categories for hospitalisation, using ICD-10 codes.

A 60-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of impending respiratory insufficiency 3 days after she was diagnosed with COVID-19 by PCR for SARS-CoV-2 performed on a nasopharyngeal swab. Her medical history included end-stage kidney disease due to hypertensive nephrosclerosis for which

Background and Aims Annually, more than 2.000 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in the Netherlands receive education regarding renal replacement therapies (RRT). The choice for RRT has major impact on a patient’s life. Ideally, this choice is made during a process of Shared Decision Making (SDM), since this improves satisfaction of patients and quality of care. Since 2017, three decision aids for SDM are available in the Netherlands: the 3 Good Questions, Option Grids and Dutch Kidney Guide (www.nierwijzer.nl). However, it is unknown whether these decision aids are sufficiently implemented in daily practice. Therefore, we evaluated SDM and developed an SDM workshop to train centres how to implement these decision aids. Method Twelve centres in the Netherlands were randomly selected and invited to participate. In these centres, the degree of SDM experienced by patients, who recently received RRT information, was measured using the SDM-Q-9 and collaboRATE questionnaires. Furthermore, SDM awareness and use of the decision aids by health care professionals was explored. Finally, we provided a 2-hour workshop for professionals with information regarding SDM and the three decision aids. Results In the twelve participating centres (two academic, ten non-academic), 176 patients completed the questionnaires; 73% found the general impression of the received information (very) good, 84% found the total number of consults good, and 86% found the received amount of information good. On a scale from 0 – 100, with a higher score indicating better SDM, the mean SDM-Q-9 score was 75±22 and the collaboRATE score 86±14. Overall, no significant difference between centres in the SDM-Q-9 and collaboRATE scores was found. When centres with the worst SDM-Q-9 score (< 70) were compared to centres with the best score (> 77), a difference was noticed in the use of kidney-specific decision aids, i.e. Option Grids and Dutch Kidney Guide, and the eGFR level at which the information was given. Only 50% of the worst scoring centres used the decision aids compared to 100% of the best scoring centres. The majority of the worst scoring centres started at an eGFR between 20 and 30 ml/min/1.73 m2, while the best scoring centres all started at an eGFR between 15 and 20 ml/min/1.73 m2. In addition, best scoring centres provided information about all treatment modalities, including nocturnal haemodialysis and conservative treatment (100% of the best vs. 50% of the worst scoring centres), and more often provided information at home (67% of the best vs. 25% of the worst scoring centres). A total of 117 health care professionals (27% physicians, 8% physician assistants, 38% nurses, 14% social workers, 13% other) completed the questionnaire; 81% found the general impression of the education process (very) good, 80% found the total number of consults good, and 56% found the amount of provided information good, while 28% found the amount too much. Fifty-six percent of the professionals believed SDM was applied, however only 28% used the 3 Good Questions and 31 – 33% the Option Grids. The Dutch Kidney Guide was used by 51%. Subsequently, ten of the twelve centres participated in the SDM workshop which was appreciated with a 7.5±0.4 on a scale from 0 – 10. Conclusion Although patients and health care professionals are fairly satisfied with the RRT information and degree of SDM, the use of SDM decision aids by health care professionals is limited. An SDM workshop introducing the decision aids was developed to train centres how to implement them. When optimizing SDM for ESRD patients in the Netherlands, attention should be paid to providing information about all treatment options, including nocturnal haemodialysis and conservative treatment, and providing information at home, to patients with an eGFR between 15 and 20 ml/min/1.73 m2. This project was funded by Stichting Kwaliteitsgelden Medisch Specialisten (SKMS) and health insurers CZ, Menzis and Stichting Achmea Gezondheidszorg.

Available treatment options for patients with end-stage kidney disease are kidney transplantation, haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or refraining from renal replacement therapy (conservative treatment). Haemodialysis removes uremic toxins and fluid by passing blood via vascular access through an artificial kidney for 4 hours 3 times a week on average. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) removes uremic toxins and fluid through the peritoneum by instillation and drainage of a special fluid via a PD catheter in and out of the abdominal cavity a number of times a day. Peritoneal dialysis is performed at home, while haemodialysis is performed at a hospital or dialysis centre, but can also be performed at home. Both forms of dialysis have significant impact on patients' quality of life and each have their own specific complications. These are mainly problems with vascular access and intradialytic hypotension in the case of haemodialysis, while the occurrence of peritonitis and membrane failure are those of peritoneal dialysis.

Background Dialysis patients have an increased bleeding risk as compared with the general population. However, there is limited information whether bleeding risks are different for patients treated with haemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD). From a clinical point of view, this information could influence therapy choice. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the association between dialysis modality and bleeding risk. Methods Incident dialysis patients from the Netherlands Cooperative Study on the Adequacy of Dialysis were prospectively followed for major bleeding events over 3 years. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for HD compared with PD using a time-dependent Cox regression analysis, with updates on dialysis modality. Results In total, 1745 patients started dialysis, of whom 1211 (69.4%) received HD and 534 (30.6%) PD. The bleeding rate was 60.8/1000 person-years for HD patients and 34.6/1000 person-years for PD patients. The time-dependent Cox regression analysis showed that after adjustment for age, sex, primary kidney disease, prior bleeding, cardiovascular disease, antiplatelet drug use, vitamin K antagonist use, erythropoietin use, arterial hypertension, residual glomerular filtratin rate, haemoglobin and albumin levels, bleeding risk for HD patients compared with PD increased 1.5-fold (95% CI 1.0–2.2). Conclusions In this large prospective cohort of incident dialysis patients, HD patients had an increased bleeding risk compared with PD patients. In particular, HD patients with a history of prior bleeding had an increased bleeding risk.

Hypoalbuminemia is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. With increasing interest in highly permeable membranes and convective therapies to improve removal of middle molecules, transmembrane albumin loss increases accordingly. Currently, the acceptable upper limit of albumin loss for extracorporeal renal replacement therapies is unknown. In theory, any additional albumin loss should be minimized because it may contribute to hypoalbuminemia and adversely affect the patient's prognosis. However, hypoalbuminemia-associated mortality may be a consequence of inflammation and malnutrition, rather than low albumin levels per se. The purpose of this review is to give an overview of albumin handling with different extracorporeal renal replacement strategies. We conclude that the acceptable upper limit of dialysis-related albumin loss remains unknown. Whether enhanced middle molecule removal outweighs the potential adverse effects of increased albumin loss with novel highly permeable membranes and convective therapies is yet to be determined.

Background Peritonitis is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and technique failure in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, especially when caused by enteric microorganisms (EM). We have implemented a treatment protocol specifically aimed at improving the outcome in EM peritonitis. The adapted protocol was applied in all PD patients 50 years and older presenting with peritonitis who were considered to be at risk of EM peritonitis and involves 3 interventions: 1) temporary discontinuation of PD without removing the catheter (peritoneal rest), 2) intravenous meropenem, and 3) meropenem intracatheter as lock (Mero-PerRest protocol). Methods In this observational study, we compared the outcome of 203 peritonitis episodes in 71 patients treated with the Mero-PerRest protocol, with 217 episodes in 104 patients treated with a more traditional intraperitoneal gentamicin-rifampicin-based regimen. Results In EM peritonitis episodes, the Mero-PerRest protocol resulted in a higher primary cure rate (90.0% vs 65.3%, adjusted odds ratio [OR] 4.54 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.46 – 14.15]) and better technique survival (90.0% vs 69.4%, adjusted OR 3.41 [95% CI 1.07 – 10.87]). This effect was most distinct in patients with polymicrobial EM peritonitis (cure rate 87.5% vs 34.8%, p = 0.0003). Interestingly, primary cure rate (95.6% vs 84.7%, adjusted OR 3.92 [95% CI 1.37 – 11.19]) and technique survival (95.6% vs 85.6%, adjusted OR 3.60 [95% CI 1.25 – 10.32]) were also excellent in non-EM peritonitis episodes. Patient survival did not differ significantly. Conclusion The poor outcome of peritonitis caused by EM in PD patients aged 50 years and older could be improved by applying a treatment protocol involving temporary discontinuation of PD without catheter removal and intravenous and intracatheter meropenem.

BackgroundLong-term treatment with peritoneal dialysis (PD) results in peritoneal fibrosis. Peritoneal biopsies have been used to determine the severity of fibrosis. Ultrasonography (US) of the abdominal wall has been used to measure peritoneal thickness non-invasively. However, direct comparison of both methods in the same patient has never been done. Furthermore, the validity of US to measure peritoneal thickness has not been investigated.MethodsWe performed 3 studies: 1) a human biopsy study to compare US measurement of peritoneal thickness with histological examination; 2) a human cadaver study to investigate the effect of removing the peritoneum on US results; and 3) a phantom study in which we used US to measure the thickness of membrane-like structures with a known thickness to investigate the influence of different US settings.ResultsThe median thickness in biopsies of the peritoneum was 113 μm (interquartile range [IQR] 72 –129 μm), while this was 370 μm (IQR 324 – 458 μm) when measured by US ( p < 0.0001). The mean difference between the 2 measures was -257 μm (limits of agreement -4.6 and -511 μm). In the cadaver study, removal of the peritoneum did not have an effect on the presence or thickness of the hyperechoic line reported to represent the peritoneum. In the phantom study, results were highly dependent on frequency of the transducer, scan depth, and gain settings.ConclusionsUltrasonography results differ markedly from histological measurement using peritoneal biopsies. However, the hyperechoic line generated by US represents the interface between 2 neighboring tissues and not a separate morphological structure. Moreover, its thickness is greatly influenced by user-defined US settings.

Background and objectives Little is known about the functional course after initiating dialysis in elderly patients with ESKD. The aim of this study was to assess the association of the initiation of dialysis in an elderly population with functional status and caregiver burden. Design, setting, participants & measurements This study included participants aged ≥65 years with ESKD who were enrolled in the Geriatric Assessment in Older Patients Starting Dialysis study. All underwent a geriatric assessment and a frailty screening (Fried Frailty Index and Groningen Frailty Indicator) at dialysis initiation. Functional status (activities of daily life and instrumental activities of daily life) and caregiver burden were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. Decline was defined as loss of one or more domains in functional status, stable as no difference between baseline and follow-up, and improvement as gain of one or more domains in functional status. Logistic regression was performed to assess the association between the combined outcome functional decline/death and potential risk factors. Results Of the 196 included participants functional data were available for 187 participants. Mean age was 75±7 years and 33% were women. At the start of dialysis, 79% were care dependent in functional status. After 6 months, 40% experienced a decline in functional status, 34% remained stable, 18% improved, and 8% died. The prevalence of high caregiver burden increased from 23%–38% (P=0.004). In the multivariable analysis age (odds ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.10 per year older at baseline) and a high Groningen Frailty Indicator compared with low score (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 3.68) were associated with functional decline/death. Conclusions In patients aged ≥65 years, functional decline within the first 6 months after initiating dialysis is highly prevalent. The risk is higher in older and frail patients. Loss in functional status was mainly driven by decline in instrumental activities of daily life. Moreover, initiation of dialysis is accompanied by an increase in caregiver burden.