Cibele Taís Puato de Almeida

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Peritoneal dialysis is still used for AKI in developing countries despite concerns about its limitations. The objective of this study was to explore the role of high-volume peritoneal dialysis in AKI patients in relation to metabolic and fluid control, outcome, and risk factors associated with death. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: A prospective study was performed on 204 AKI patients who were assigned to high-volume peritoneal dialysis (prescribed Kt/V=0.60/session) by flexible catheter and cycler; 150 patients (80.2%) were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: Mean age was 63.8±15.8 years, 70% of patients were in the intensive care unit, and sepsis was the main etiology of AKI (54.7%). BUN and creatinine levels stabilized after four sessions at around 50 and 4 mg/dl, respectively. Fluid removal and nitrogen balance increased progressively and stabilized around 1200 ml and -1 g/d after four sessions, respectively. Weekly delivered Kt/V was 3.5±0.68. Regarding AKI outcome, 23% of patients presented renal function recovery, 6.6% of patients remained on dialysis after 30 days, and 57.3% of patients died. Age and sepsis were identified as risk factors for death. In urine output, increase of 1 g in nitrogen balance and increase of 500 ml in ultrafiltration after three sessions were identified as protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: High-volume peritoneal dialysis is effective for a selected AKI patient group, allowing adequate metabolic and fluid control. Age, sepsis, and urine output as well as nitrogen balance and ultrafiltration after three high-volume peritoneal dialysis sessions were associated significantly with death.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine if intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) could predict acute renal injury (AKI) in the postoperative period of abdominal surgeries, and which would be its cutoff value. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in the period from January 2010 to March 2011 in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of the University Hospital of Botucatu Medical School, UNESP. Consecutive patients undergoing abdominal surgery were included in the study. Initial evaluation, at admission in ICU, was performed in order to obtain demographic, clinical surgical and therapeutic data. Evaluation of IAP was obtained by the intravesical method, four times per day, and renal function was evaluated during the patient's stay in the ICU until discharge, death or occurrence of AKI. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients were evaluated, 16 patients developed intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH), 45 developed an abnormal IAP (>7 mmHg) and 26 developed AKI. The first IAP at the time of admission to the ICU was able to predict the occurrence of AKI (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.669; p=0.029) with the best cutoff point (by Youden index method) ≥ 7.68 mmHg, sensitivity of 87%, specificity of 46% at this point. The serial assessment of this parameter did not added prognostic value to initial evaluation. CONCLUSION: IAH was frequent in patients undergoing abdominal surgeries during ICU stay, and it predicted the occurrence of AKI. Serial assessments of IAP did not provided better discriminatory power than initial evaluation.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome may be associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection but it occurs in advanced stages of human immunodeficiency virus disease. As in other forms of hemolytic uremic syndrome plasmapheresis seems to be the treatment of choice. The authors present an unusual case of hemolytic uremic syndrome associated with acute human immunodeficiency virus infection in a 38 year-old black male. The patient was admitted with fever, asthenia, nausea, diarrhea, and reduced urinary output. He was found to have anemia, thrombocytopenia and severe renal failure. Hemolytic uremic syndrome was diagnosed and he was started on plasmapheresis and hemodialysis. Serological tests were consistent with acute human immunodeficiency virus infection: the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for human immunodeficiency virus was weakly positive, Western Blot test was negative and human immunodeficiency virus RNA quantification was positive, with > 1,000,000 copies/microl. After 4 daily treatment sessions, patient's clinical condition improved and hemoglobin, platelets, lactic dehydrogenase and renal function normalized.