Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex disorder for which currently there is no accepted definition. Having a uniform standard for diagnosing and classifying AKI would enhance our ability to manage these patients. Future clinical and translational research in AKI will require collaborative networks of investigators drawn from various disciplines, dissemination of information via multidisciplinary joint conferences and publications, and improved translation of knowledge from pre-clinical research. We describe an initiative to develop uniform standards for defining and classifying AKI and to establish a forum for multidisciplinary interaction to improve care for patients with or at risk for AKI. Members representing key societies in critical care and nephrology along with additional experts in adult and pediatric AKI participated in a two day conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in September 2005 and were assigned to one of three workgroups. Each group's discussions formed the basis for draft recommendations that were later refined and improved during discussion with the larger group. Dissenting opinions were also noted. The final draft recommendations were circulated to all participants and subsequently agreed upon as the consensus recommendations for this report. Participating societies endorsed the recommendations and agreed to help disseminate the results. The term AKI is proposed to represent the entire spectrum of acute renal failure. Diagnostic criteria for AKI are proposed based on acute alterations in serum creatinine or urine output. A staging system for AKI which reflects quantitative changes in serum creatinine and urine output has been developed. We describe the formation of a multidisciplinary collaborative network focused on AKI. We have proposed uniform standards for diagnosing and classifying AKI which will need to be validated in future studies. The Acute Kidney Injury Network offers a mechanism for proceeding with efforts to improve patient outcomes.

Acute Kidney Injury Network: report of an initiative to improve outcomes in acute kidney injury

Polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (PVAN) is an emerging cause of kidney transplant failure affecting 1-10% of patients. As uncertainty exists regarding risk factors, diagnosis, and intervention, an independent panel of experts reviewed the currently available evidence and prepared this report. Most cases of PVAN are elicited by BK virus (BKV) in the context of intense immunosuppression. No specific immunosuppressive drug is exclusively associated with PVAN, but most cases reported to date arise while the patient is on triple immunosuppressive combinations, often comprising tacrolimus and/or mycophenolate mofetil plus corticosteroids. Immunologic control of polyomavirus replication can be achieved by reducing, switching, and/or discontinuing components of the immunosuppressive regimen, but the individual's risk of rejection should be considered. The success rate of this intervention is increased with earlier diagnosis. Therefore, it is recommended that all renal transplant recipients should be screened for BKV replication in the urine: 1) every three months during the first two years posttransplant; 2) when allograft dysfunction is noted; and 3) when allograft biopsy is performed. A positive screening result should be confirmed in <4 weeks and assessed by quantitative assays (e.g. BKV DNA or RNA load in plasma or urine). Definitive diagnosis of PVAN requires allograft biopsy. If PVAN and concurrent acute rejection is diagnosed, antirejection treatment should be considered, coupled with subsequently reducing immunosuppression. The antiviral cidofovir is not approved for PVAN, but investigational use at low doses (0.25-0.33 mg/kg intravenously biweekly) without probenicid should be considered for refractory cases. Retransplantation after renal allograft loss to PVAN remains a treatment option for patients clearing polyomavirus replication.

Polyomavirus-Associated Nephropathy in Renal Transplantation: Interdisciplinary Analyses and Recommendations

Hyponatraemia, defined as a serum sodium concentration !135 mmol/l, is the most common disorder of body fluid and electrolyte balance encountered in clinical practice. It can lead to a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms, from subtle to severe or even life threatening, and is associated with increased mortality, morbidity and length of hospital stay in patients presenting with a range of conditions. Despite this, the management of patients remains problematic. The prevalence of hyponatraemia in widely different conditions and the fact that hyponatraemia is managed by clinicians with a broad variety of backgrounds have fostered diverse institution- and speciality-based approaches to diagnosis and treatment. To obtain a common and holistic view, the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA–EDTA), represented by European Renal Best Practice (ERBP), have developed the Clinical Practice Guideline on the diagnostic approach and treatment of hyponatraemia as a joint venture of three societies representing specialists with a natural interest in hyponatraemia. In addition to a rigorous approach to methodology and evaluation, we were keen to ensure that the document focused on patient-important outcomes and included utility for clinicians involved in everyday practice.

/pdf/clinical-practice-guideline-on-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-509w3449ob.pdf

Clinical practice guideline on diagnosis and treatment of hyponatraemia

https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(15)52823-8/pdf

Association between obesity and kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This article updates the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2007 classification of advanced heart failure and describes new diagnostic and treatment options for these patients. Recognizing the patient with advanced heart failure is critical to facilitate timely referral to advanced heart failure centres. Unplanned visits for heart failure decompensation, malignant arrhythmias, co-morbidities, and the 2016 ESC guidelines criteria for the diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction are included in this updated definition. Standard treatment is, by definition, insufficient in these patients. Inotropic therapy may be used as a bridge strategy, but it is only a palliative measure when used on its own, because of the lack of outcomes data. Major progress has occurred with short-term mechanical circulatory support devices for immediate management of cardiogenic shock and long-term mechanical circulatory support for either a bridge to transplantation or as destination therapy. Heart transplantation remains the treatment of choice for patients without contraindications. Some patients will not be candidates for advanced heart failure therapies. For these patients, who are often elderly with multiple co-morbidities, management of advanced heart failure to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life should be emphasized. Robust evidence from prospective studies is lacking for most therapies for advanced heart failure. There is an urgent need to develop evidence-based treatment algorithms to prolong life when possible and in accordance with patient preferences, increase life quality, and reduce the burden of hospitalization in this vulnerable patient population.

Advanced heart failure : a position statement of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology

This editorial refers to ‘Peritoneal dialysis relieves clinical symptoms and is well tolerated in patients with refractory heart failure and chronic kidney disease’, by M. Koch et al. published in this issue on pages 530–539 and ‘Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis as a therapeutic alternative in patients with advanced congestive heart failure’, by J. Núñez et al. published in this issue on pages 540–548.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1093/eurjhf/hfs053

Can we treat fluid overload with fluid? Role of peritoneal dialysis in management of heart failure

Several studies have recently challenged the sodium-centric view that has been dominating the field of heart failure (HF) and cardiorenal syndrome. The previously observed benefits of severe dietary restriction of salt do not seem to be consistently reproduced by contemporary studies. Moreover, there is evidence that too low intake may paradoxically lead to adverse outcomes in more advanced stages of HF. Facing the escalating controversy, investigators have shifted their focus from sodium to its often overlooked counter ion in salt, the chloride. Emerging data suggest that serum chloride levels could portend robust independent prognostic value in a wide range of HF syndromes possibly stronger than that of sodium. The untoward impact of hypochloremia on the outcomes could be mechanistically linked to renal tubular regulatory pathways, neurohormonal activation, and diuretic resistance. As such, it can be a potential target of therapy in this setting. In this article, the authors provide a brief overview of the role of serum chloride as a cardiorenal connector and explore the context in which the contemporary data should be interpreted. Implementation of predictive and therapeutic strategies incorporating the emerging evidence would be refined through discussion of nuances of such findings as well as their biological and clinical relevance.

/pdf/emergence-of-chloride-as-an-overlooked-cardiorenal-connector-54jn3ksujc.pdf

Emergence of Chloride as an Overlooked Cardiorenal Connector in Heart Failure.

Background: Heart failure (HF) has a high readmission rate in part due to conventional and recently developed therapeutic options having suboptimal results. Extra

Ultrafiltration therapy for cardiorenal syndrome: physiologic basis and contemporary options.

The current models of cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) are mainly based on a cardiocentric approach; they assume that worsening renal function is an adverse consequence of the decline in cardiac function rather than a separate and independent pathologic phenomenon. If this assumption were true, then mechanical extraction of fluid (i.e., ultrafiltration therapy) would be expected to portend positive impact on renal hemodynamics and function through improvement in cardio-circulatory physiology and reduction in neurohormonal activation. However, currently available ultrafiltration trials, whether in acute heart failure (AHF) or in CRS, have so far failed to show any improvement in renal function; they have reported no impact or even observed adverse renal outcomes in this setting. Moreover, the presence or absence of renal dysfunction seems to affect the overall safety and efficacy of ultrafiltration therapy in AHF. This manuscript briefly reviews cardiorenal physiology in AHF and concludes that therapeutic options for CRS should not only target cardio-circulatory status of the patients, but they need to also have the ability of addressing the adverse homeostatic consequences of the associated decline in renal function. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) can be such an option for the chronic cases of CRS as it has been shown to provide efficient intracorporeal ultrafiltration and sodium extraction in volume overloaded patients while concurrently correcting the metabolic consequences of diminished renal function. Currently available trials on PD in heart failure have shown the safety and efficacy of this therapeutic modality for patients with chronic CRS and suggest that it could represent a pathophysiologically and conceptually relevant option in this setting.

Peritoneal dialysis for chronic cardiorenal syndrome: Lessons learned from ultrafiltration trials.

Background. There is a notable lack of education on nutrition and physical activity guidelines in medical schools and postgraduate training. The purpose of this study is to assess the nutrition and exercise knowledge and personal health behaviors of physicians in the Department of Medicine at a large academic center. Methods. We conducted a survey study in the Department of Medicine at the University of Florida in 2018. The survey instrument included questions on demographics, medical comorbidities, baseline perception of health and fitness, and knowledge of nutrition concepts. The Duke Activity Status Index assessed activity/functional capacity and the validated 14-point Mediterranean Diet Survey evaluated dietary preferences. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the χ2 test was used to perform comparisons between groups. Statistical significance was determined at P < .05. Results. Out of 331 eligible physicians, 303 (92%) participated in the study. While all respondents agreed that eating well is important for health, less than a fourth followed facets of a plant-based Mediterranean diet. Only 25% correctly identified the American Heart Association recommended number of fruit and vegetable servings per day and fewer still (20%) were aware of the recommended daily added sugar limit for adults. Forty-six percent knew the American Heart Association physical activity recommendations and 52% reported more than 3 hours of personal weekly exercise. Reported fruit and vegetable consumption correlated with perceived level of importance of nutrition as well as nutrition knowledge. Forty percent of physicians (102/253) who considered nutrition at least somewhat important reported a minimum of 2 vegetable and 3 fruit servings per day, compared with 7% (3/44) of those who considered nutrition less important ("neutral," "not important," or "important, but I don't have the time to focus on it right now"; P < .0001). Conclusions. This study highlights the need for significant improvement in education of physicians about nutrition and physical activity and need for physicians to focus on good personal health behaviors, which may potentially improve with better education.

Amir Kazory

Papers

Can we treat fluid overload with fluid? Role of peritoneal dialysis in management of heart failure

Emergence of Chloride as an Overlooked Cardiorenal Connector in Heart Failure.

Ultrafiltration therapy for cardiorenal syndrome: physiologic basis and contemporary options.

Peritoneal dialysis for chronic cardiorenal syndrome: Lessons learned from ultrafiltration trials.

The Mismatch of Nutrition and Lifestyle Beliefs and Actions Among Physicians: A Wake-Up Call.