[Census 2004 of the Italian Renal and Dialysis Units. Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino Alto Adige]

The Italian Society of Nephrology (SIN) promoted a national survey of the Renal and Dialysis Units using an online questionnaire on some aspects of structural, technological and personnel resources, as well as organisation and activity. The major aim of this initiative was to obtain a reference benchmark on a national and regional basis. In this paper the data of the northestern regions of Italy (Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige) are reported and compared with the recently published results of the northwestern regions (Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d'Aosta). From an epidemiologic point of view, the prevalence of dialysis patients was 534 pmp (per million population) in Veneto, 667 pmp in Friuli VG and 545 in Trentino AA, the prevalence of transplanted patients was 265, 294 and 404 pmp, respectively; the incidence of dialysis patients was 137, 182 and 130 pmp; gross mortality was 12.5, 14.3 and 16.5%; the distribution of vascular accesse in prevalently dialysis patients was: arteriovenous fistulas = 84.5, 70.4 and 80.9%, central venous catheters = 10.6, 20.0 and 10.2%, vascular graft = 4.9, 9.6 and 8.8%. Regarding structural resources, the distribution of hospital bed numbers was 38, 42 and 43 pmp; dialysis places were 137, 181 and 172 pmp. Human resources were given by renal physicians = 28.3, 38.2 and 23.6 pmp and renal nurses = 138, 200 and 172 pmp; each renal physician took care of 19, 17 and 23 dialysis patients and each renal nurse cared for 3.9, 3.3 and 3.2 dialysis patients. Activity data showed 1436, 1328 and 974 pmp hospital admissions, kidney biopsies were 106, 114 and 31 pmp. Overall, the Italian Northeast shows a significantly lower prevalence and incidence of end-stage renal disease patients than the Northwest; on the contrary, the incidence of patients with acute renal failure is significantly higher. In the Italian Northeast a significantly lower number of hospital beds devoted to renal patients is observed, while dialysis places are more frequent. In the Northeast fewer renal physicians are present than in the Northwest, whereas renal nurses are equivalent if related to the number of dialysis patients. Activity indexes, intended as amount of hospital admissions and renal biopsies standardised per population, are less significant in the Northeast. The results of the survey in Veneto, Friuli VG and Trentino AA show some discrepancies in the treatment of chronic kidney disease between the three regions and even more among different areas of Italy. Despite similar health care models, a relevant inequality in health care resources is evident.