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Background For 10 consecutive years, the ESPN/ERA-EDTA Registry has included data on children with stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD 5) receiving kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in Europe. We examined trends in incidence and prevalence of KRT and patient survival. Methods We included all children aged Results Incidence of children commencing KRT Conclusions We found a stable incidence and increasing prevalence of European children on KRT 2007–2016. Five-year patient survival was good and was unchanged over time. These data can inform patients and healthcare providers and aid health policy makers on future resource planning of pediatric KRT in Europe.

Importance: During the past decades, improvements in the prevention and management of myocardial infarction, stroke, and pulmonary embolism have led to a decline in cardiovascular mortality in the general population. However, it is unknown whether patients receiving dialysis have also benefited from these improvements. Objective: To assess the mortality rates for myocardial infarction, stroke, and pulmonary embolism in a large cohort of European patients receiving dialysis compared with the general population. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study, adult patients who started dialysis between 1998 and 2015 from 11 European countries providing data to the European Renal Association Registry were and followed up for 3 years. Data were analyzed from September 2020 to February 2022. Exposures: Start of dialysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: The age- and sex-standardized mortality rate ratios (SMRs) with 95% CIs were calculated by dividing the mortality rates in patients receiving dialysis by the mortality rates in the general population for 3 equal periods (1998-2003, 2004-2009, and 2010-2015). Results: In total, 220 467 patients receiving dialysis were included in the study. Their median (IQR) age was 68.2 (56.5-76.4) years, and 82 068 patients (37.2%) were female. During follow-up, 83 912 patients died, of whom 7662 (9.1%) died because of myocardial infarction, 5030 (6.0%) died because of stroke, and 435 (0.5%) died because of pulmonary embolism. Between the periods 1998 to 2003 and 2010 to 2015, the SMR of myocardial infarction decreased from 8.1 (95% CI, 7.8-8.3) to 6.8 (95% CI, 6.5-7.1), the SMR of stroke decreased from 7.3 (95% CI, 7.0-7.6) to 5.8 (95% CI, 5.5-6.2), and the SMR of pulmonary embolism decreased from 8.7 (95% CI, 7.6-10.1) to 5.5 (95% CI, 4.5-6.6). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of patients receiving dialysis, mortality rates for myocardial infarction, stroke, and pulmonary embolism decreased more over time than in the general population. publishedVersion

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

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a chronic, progressive condition characterized by the development and growth of cysts in the kidneys and other organs and by additional systemic manifestations. Individuals with ADPKD should have access to lifelong, multidisciplinary, specialist and patient-centred care involving: (i) a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the manifestations, complications, prognosis and impact of the disease (in physical, psychological and social terms) on the patient and their family; (ii) access to treatment to relieve symptoms, manage complications, preserve kidney function, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and maintain quality of life; and (iii) information and support to help patients and their families act as fully informed and active partners in care, i.e. to maintain self-management approaches, deal with the impact of the condition and participate in decision-making regarding healthcare policies, services and research. Building on discussions at an international roundtable of specialists and patient advocates involved in ADPKD care, this article sets out (i) the principles for a patient-centred, holistic approach to the organization and delivery of ADPKD care in practice, with a focus on multispecialist collaboration and shared-decision making, and (ii) the rationale and knowledge base for a route map for ADPKD care intended to help patients navigate the services available to them and to help stakeholders and decision-makers take practical steps to ensure that all patients with ADPKD can access the comprehensive multispecialist care to which they are entitled. Further multispecialty collaboration is encouraged to design and implement these services, and to work with patient organizations to promote awareness building, education and research.

Background More than 6200 End Stage Renal Disease patients in the Netherlands are dependent on dialysis, either performed at home or in a dialysis centre. Visiting a dialysis centre three times a week is considered a large burden by many patients. However, recent data regarding the effects of dialysis at home on quality of life, clinical outcomes, and costs compared with in-centre haemodialysis are lacking. Methods The Dutch nOcturnal and hoME dialysis Study To Improve Clinical Outcomes (DOMESTICO) is a nationwide, prospective, observational cohort study that will include adult patients starting with a form of dialysis. Health-related quality of life, as the primary outcome, clinical outcomes and costs, as secondary outcomes, will be measured every 3–6 months in patients on home dialysis, and compared with a control group consisting of in-centre haemodialysis patients. During a 3-year period 800 home dialysis patients (600 peritoneal dialysis and 200 home haemodialysis patients) and a comparison group of 800 in-centre haemodialysis patients will be included from 53 Dutch dialysis centres (covering 96% of Dutch centres) and 1 Belgian dialysis centre (covering 4% of Flemish centres). Discussion DOMESTICO will prospectively investigate the effect of home dialysis therapies on health-related quality of life, clinical outcomes and costs, in comparison with in-centre haemodialysis. The findings of this study are expected to ameliorate the shared decision-making process and give more guidance to healthcare professionals, in particular to assess which type of patients may benefit most from home dialysis. Trial registration The DOMESTICO study is registered with the National Trial Register on (number: NL6519, date of registration: 22 August 2017) and the Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (CCMO) (number: NL63277.029.17).

Background Previous US studies have indicated that haemodialysis with ≥6-h sessions [extended-hours haemodialysis (EHD)] may improve patient survival. However, patient characteristics and treatment practices vary between the USA and Europe. We therefore investigated the effect of EHD three times weekly on survival compared with conventional haemodialysis (CHD) among European patients. Methods We included patients who were treated with haemodialysis between 2010 and 2017 from eight countries providing data to the European Renal Association–European Dialysis and Transplant Association Registry. Haemodialysis session duration and frequency were recorded once every year or at every change of haemodialysis prescription and were categorized into three groups: CHD (three times weekly, 3.5–4 h/treatment), EHD (three times weekly, ≥6 h/treatment) or other. In the primary analyses we attributed death to the treatment at the time of death and in secondary analyses to EHD if ever initiated. We compared mortality risk for EHD to CHD with causal inference from marginal structural models, using Cox proportional hazards models weighted for the inverse probability of treatment and censoring and adjusted for potential confounders. Results From a total of 142 460 patients, 1338 patients were ever treated with EHD (three times, 7.1 ± 0.8 h/week) and 89 819 patients were treated exclusively with CHD (three times, 3.9 ± 0.2 h/week). Crude mortality rates were 6.0 and 13.5/100 person-years. In the primary analyses, patients treated with EHD had an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.73 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62–0.85] compared with patients treated with CHD. When we attributed all deaths to EHD after initiation, the HR for EHD was comparable to the primary analyses [HR 0.80 (95% CI 0.71–0.90)]. Conclusions EHD is associated with better survival in European patients treated with haemodialysis three times weekly.

Background and objectives Infections are the most common noncardiovascular causes of death after kidney transplantation. We analyzed the current infection-related mortality among kidney transplant recipients in a nationwide cohort in Finland. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Altogether, 3249 adult recipients of a first kidney transplant from 1990 to 2012 were included. Infectious causes of death were analyzed, and the mortality rates for infections were compared between two eras (1990–1999 and 2000–2012). Risk factors for infectious deaths were analyzed with Cox regression and competing risk analyses. Results Altogether, 953 patients (29%) died during the follow-up, with 204 infection-related deaths. Mortality rate (per 1000 patient-years) due to infections was lower in the more recent cohort (4.6; 95% confidence interval, 3.5 to 6.1) compared with the older cohort (9.1; 95% confidence interval, 7.6 to 10.7); the incidence rate ratio of infectious mortality was 0.51 (95% confidence interval, 0.30 to 0.68). The main causes of infectious deaths were common bacterial infections: septicemia in 38% and pulmonary infections in 45%. Viral and fungal infections caused only 2% and 3% of infectious deaths, respectively (such as individual patients with Cytomegalovirus pneumonia, Herpes simplex virus meningoencephalitis, Varicella zoster virus encephalitis, and Pneumocystis jirovecii infection). Similarly, opportunistic bacterial infections rarely caused death; only one death was caused by Listeria monocytogenes , and two were caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Only 23 (11%) of infection-related deaths occurred during the first post-transplant year. Older recipient age, higher plasma creatinine concentration at the end of the first post-transplant year, diabetes as a cause of ESKD, longer pretransplant dialysis duration, acute rejection, low albumin level, and earlier era of transplantation were associated with increased risk of infectious death in multivariable analysis. Conclusions The risk of death due to infectious causes after kidney transplantation in Finland dropped by one half since the 1990s. Common bacterial infections remained the most frequent cause of infection-related mortality, whereas opportunistic viral, fungal, or unconventional bacterial infections rarely caused deaths after kidney transplantation.

Background Updated survival outcomes of young recipients receiving young or old deceased donor kidneys are required when considering accepting a deceased donor kidney. Methods We examined outcomes in 6448 European kidney allografts donated from younger (≥20– Results The 10-year cumulative incidence of graft failure was lowest in very young {22.0% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 19.1–24.9]} and young [15.3% (95% CI 13.7–16.9)] recipients of younger donor kidneys and highest in very young [36.7% (95% CI 31.9–41.5)] and young [29.2% (95% CI 25.1–33.2)] recipients of older donor kidneys. At the 10-year follow-up, younger donor kidneys had a 1 year (very young) or 9 months (young) longer mean graft survival time compared with older donor kidneys. Graft failure risk in younger donor kidneys was 45% [very young adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.55 (95% CI 0.44–0.68)] and 40% [young aHR 0.60 (95% CI 0.53–0.67)] lower compared with older donor kidneys. A 1-year increase in donor age resulted in a 2% [very young aHR 1.02 (95% CI 1.00–1.04)] or 1% [young aHR 1.01 (95% CI 1.00–1.01)] increase in the 10-year risk of death. Conclusions Younger donor kidneys show survival benefits over older donor kidneys in adult recipients ages 20–50 years. Updated survival outcomes from older deceased donors are necessary due to advances in transplantation medicine and the increasing role these donors play in organ transplantation.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a chronic, progressive condition characterized by the development and growth of cysts in the kidneys and other organs and by additional systemic manifestations. Individuals with ADPKD should have access to lifelong, multidisciplinary, specialist and patient-centred care involving: (i) a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the manifestations, complications, prognosis and impact of the disease (in physical, psychological and social terms) on the patient and their family; (ii) access to treatment to relieve symptoms, manage complications, preserve kidney function, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and maintain quality of life; and (iii) information and support to help patients and their families act as fully informed and active partners in care, i.e. to maintain self-management approaches, deal with the impact of the condition and participate in decision-making regarding healthcare policies, services and research. Building on discussions at an international roundtable of specialists and patient advocates involved in ADPKD care, this article sets out (i) the principles for a patient-centred, holistic approach to the organization and delivery of ADPKD care in practice, with a focus on multispecialist collaboration and shared-decision making, and (ii) the rationale and knowledge base for a route map for ADPKD care intended to help patients navigate the services available to them and to help stakeholders and decision-makers take practical steps to ensure that all patients with ADPKD can access the comprehensive multispecialist care to which they are entitled. Further multispecialty collaboration is encouraged to design and implement these services, and to work with patient organizations to promote awareness building, education and research.