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Obesity continues to increase in prevalence worldwide. Hypertension has long been associated with obesity, and weight loss continues to be a first-line therapy in the treatment of hypertension. Lifestyle modi- fication and pharmacologic therapy, however, often meet with treatment failure. Bariatric surgery continues to be the most successful approach to sustained weight loss. This review focuses on the underlying physiologic mechanisms of obesity-hypertension, and the impact of bariatric surgery on the treatment of hypertension. Current available literature on the physiologic mechanisms of obesity-hypertension, and the major trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews of the impact of bariatric surgery procedures on hypertension are reviewed. Evidence suggests significant improvement in obesity-hypertension in patients who undergo surgical weight-reduction procedures. Malabsorptive techniques such as the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or surgical resection techniques such as laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy appear to offer superior results in regards to hypertension control over restrictive techniques such as Gastric Banding. Though long-term control of hypertension following surgery remains a concern, available follow-up post-operative data of up to 10 years suggests a sustained, if lessened, effect on hypertension control over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urgent-start peritoneal dialysis (PD) refers to the initiation of PD in new-start end-stage renal disease patients who present either emergently in the hospital or urgently in clinic. These patients are called "late-referred patients." Our academic practice group, like many private practice and academic groups, currently functions within 4 hospitals and 4 clinics. The patient base consists of a large indigent population with limited access to health care and also of insured patients. An urgent-start PD program was initiated to provide all patients with a choice of dialysis modality.Our faculty understood that, for their urgent-start PD program to be successful, they had to have the support of the house staff, hospitalists, surgeons, and the PD nurse. The education began with grand rounds on urgent-start PD in the medicine department. We also educated the hospitalists at the other private hospitals on our urgent-start program. Once the primary care services were comfortable with urgent-start PD, our nephrology group then educated the surgeons about best-practice guidelines for PD catheter placement. At that time, a direct feedback communication loop was created between the PD nurse, surgeon, and nephrologist about the placement and functionality of the catheter. Here, we present our success in the creation of an urgent-start PD program.

Background: Forearm loop arteriovenous grafts most commonly fail because of stenosis, with thrombosis at the venous anastomosis. Treatment begins with identification of the stenotic lesion causing thrombosis, followed by either a percutaneous method using thrombolytic agents with possible balloon angioplasty and mechanical evacuation or surgical thrombectomy., Case Report: We present a case of thrombosis in a forearm loop graft with successful percutaneous thrombectomy. Preservation of this access site was only possible because of an unusual finding of collateral circulation, with the median cubital vein acting as a conduit to the basilic vein., Conclusion: The choice of surgical vs percutaneous methods for treating a thrombosed graft remains controversial. Yet the success rates of pharmacologic thrombolysis and the percutaneous approach are comparable to those of surgical thrombectomy. Our case of successful percutaneous thrombectomy illustrates the value of preserving the median cubital vein whenever possible in the placement of forearm arteriovenous grafts.