Pediatric intradialytic hypotension: recommendations from the Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (PCRRT) Workgroup

Technical requirements and devices available for long-term hemodialysis in children-mind the gap!

Children requiring long-term kidney replacement therapy are a "rare disease" cohort. While the basic technical requirements for hemodialysis (HD) are similar in children and adults, key aspects of the child's cardiovascular anatomy and hemodynamic specifications must be considered. In this article, we describe the technical requirements for long-term HD therapy for children and the devices that are currently available around the world. We highlight the characteristics and major technical shortcomings of permanent central venous catheters, dialyzers, dialysis machines, and software available to clinicians who care for children. We show that currently available HD machines are not equipped with appropriately small circuits and sensitive control mechanisms to perform safe and effective HD in the youngest patients. Manufacturers limit their liability, and health regulatory agencies permit the use of devices, only in children according to the manufacturers' pre-specified weight limitations. Although registries show that 6-23% of children starting long-term HD weigh less than 15 kg, currently, there is only one long-term HD device that is cleared for use in children weighing 10 to 15 kg and none is available and labelled for use in children weighing less than 10 kg anywhere in the world. Thus, many children are being treated "off-label" and are subject to interventions delivered by medical devices that lack pediatric safety and efficacy data. Moreover, recent improvements in dialysis technology offered to adult patients are denied to most children. We, in turn, advocate for concerted action by pediatric nephrologists, industry, and health regulatory agencies to increase the development of dedicated HD machines and equipment for children.

Intradialytic Hypotension and Mortality in Adolescents and Young Adults With Kidney Failure Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis

Rationale & Objective

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is associated with mortality in adults with kidney failure requiring hemodialysis (HD); however, large-scale pediatric studies are lacking. Moreover, there is no evidence-based consensus definition of IDH in pediatric literature. We aimed to examine the association of commonly used definitions of IDH with mortality in adolescents and young adults.

Study Design

This was a retrospective observational cohort study.

Setting & Participants

In total, 1,199 adolescents and young adults (N = 320, aged 10-18 years and N = 879, aged 19-21 years) who initiated HD in a large dialysis organization were included.

Exposures

This study used different definitions of IDH.

Outcome

The study outcome was 2-year all-cause mortality.

Analytical Approach

Several definitions of IDH were selected a priori based on a literature review. Patients were classified as having IDH if it was present in at least 30% of HD treatments during the first 90 days after dialysis initiation. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to test whether IDH associated with 2-year all-cause mortality.

Results

Over a 2-year follow-up period, 54 (4.5%) patients died. Dependent on its definition, IDH was present in 2.9%-61.1% of patients. After the multivariable adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, we found no association of IDH with mortality. Results were consistent across subgroups stratified by age (aged <18 and 19-21 years) and predialysis systolic blood pressure (<120, 120-150, and >150 mm Hg). We also examined IDH as occurring in <5%, 5%-29%, 30%-50%, and >50% of baseline treatments, and did not find a dose-response association with mortality (P > 0.05).

Limitations

Owing to low event rates, our current sample size may have been too small to detect a difference in mortality.

Conclusions

Our study found that IDH was not associated with mortality in adolescents and young adults.

Implementing a fluid volume management program to decrease intra-dialytic hypotensive events in a paediatric in-centre haemodialysis unit: a quality improvement project

BACKGROUND

Intra-dialytic hypotension (IDH) is the most common serious adverse event in paediatric haemodialysis (HD). Repeated IDH results in chronic multi-organ damage and increased mortality. At the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, retrospective data from all in-centre HD sessions revealed frequently occurring IDH events (16.5 ± 5.6% of HD sessions per week). Based on literature review and clinical expertise, fluid volume management was selected as a potential modifiable risk factor to decrease IDH. Root causes identified as contributing to IDH were incorporated into a Paediatric haemodialysis fluid volume management (PedHDfluid) program using the Model for Improvement methodology including rapid cycles of change.

METHODS

Multiple measures were evaluated including (i) Outcome: IDH events per number of HD sessions per week; (ii) Process: number of changes to estimated dry weight per number of HD sessions per week; (iii) Balancing: time spent on dry weight meeting per week. Data was analysed using statistical process control charts. We aimed to decrease IDH in our dialysis unit to < 10% of HD sessions per week over a 6-month period by implementing a PedHDfluid program, including a multifaceted dry weight assessment protocol, multidisciplinary meetings and electronic health records "Dry Weight Evaluation flow sheet/synopsis".

RESULTS

The project resulted in a decline in IDH events from 16.5 ± 5.6% to 8.8 ± 3.3% of HD sessions per week. More frequent dry weight changes and increased awareness of fluid removal goals were noted.

CONCLUSIONS

A multidisciplinary approach including regular assessment, guidelines and systematic discussion, with an embedded electronic health record assessment and data gathering tool may sustainably reduce IDH events. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Patient and caregiver perspectives on blood pressure in children with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Over 50% of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have uncontrolled hypertension, increasing their long-term risk of cardiovascular disease and progression to kidney failure. Children receiving medications or dialysis may also experience acute blood pressure fluctuations accompanied by debilitating symptoms. We aimed to describe the perspectives of children with CKD and their parental caregivers on blood pressure, to inform patient-centered care.

METHODS

Secondary thematic analysis was conducted on qualitative data from the Standardized Outcomes in Nephrology-Children and Adolescents initiative, encompassing 16 focus groups, an international Delphi survey, and two consensus workshops. We analyzed responses from children with CKD (aged 8-21 years) and caregivers (of children aged 0-21 years) pertaining to blood pressure.

RESULTS

Overall, 120 patients and 250 caregivers from 22 countries participated. We identified five themes: invisibility and normalization (reassured by apparent normotension, absence of symptoms, expected links with CKD); confused by ambiguity (hypertension indistinguishable from cardiovascular disease, questioning need for prophylactic intervention, frustrated by inconsistent messages, struggling with technical skills in measurement); enabling monitoring and maintaining health (gauging wellbeing, preventing vascular complications); debilitating and constraining daily living (provoking anxiety and agitation, helpless and powerless, limiting life activities); and burden of medications (overwhelmed by quantity of tablets, distress from unexpected side effects).

CONCLUSIONS

For children with CKD and their caregivers, blood pressure was an important heath indicator, but uncertainty around its implications and treatment hampered management. Providing educational resources to track blood pressure, and minimizing symptoms and treatment burden, may improve outcomes in children with CKD.

Pediatric acute kidney injury: new advances in the last decade

Pediatric acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequently missed complication. AKI has a significant impact on both short- and long-term outcomes in children. Within the last decade, there have been major landmark developments in this field of critical care pediatric nephrology. The topic was searched by two independent researchers using Google Scholar and PubMed and related studies published in the last 10 years. The terms used for the search were 'pediatric acute kidney injury,' 'pediatric acute renal failure,' 'pediatric dialysis,' 'biomarkers,' 'nephrotoxins,' 'nephrotoxicity in children,' and 'pediatric critical care nephrology.' We found that AKI is common in critically ill neonates and children. Among the various definitions, the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) definition is most commonly used. In addition, it is imperative to risk stratify sick children at admission in the hospital to predict AKI and worse outcomes as this aids in early management. There are now major landmark trials that describe the epidemiology, prevention, and management guidelines in this field and health care professionals need to be aware they should diagnose AKI early. Overall, this review highlights the landmark studies in the last decade and shows that early diagnosis and management of AKI in 'at risk' children can improve outcomes.