Correction of severe hyponatremia by continuous veno-venous hemodialysis with regional citrate anticoagulation: A case series

INTRODUCTION

Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte disturbance in critically ill patients. Management of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients with concurrent hyponatremia and renal failure requiring dialysis is challenging especially with regional citrate anticoagulation which may cause excessive rise of serum [Na⁺ ]. We described the first and successful modified continuous veno-venous hemodialysis (CVVHD) regimen using regional citrate anticoagulation.

METHOD

A mathematical model was developed to predict serum [Na⁺ ] change during CVVHD. Our in-house CVVHD regimen using regional citrate anticoagulation was modified to slow down the rise of serum [Na⁺ ] by both modifying the dialysate solution and modifying the circuit.

RESULT

Five out of six patients had gradual serum [Na⁺ ] correction not exceeding the daily limit. None of them developed osmotic demyelination syndrome.

CONCLUSION

We concluded that regional citrate anticoagulation, with proper modification, is safe and effective for patients with severe hyponatremia requiring hemodialysis.

Continuous hemodialysis with citrate anticoagulation and standard dialysate for managing acute kidney injury in patients with moderate to severe hyponatremia-A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The safety of continuous veno-venous hemodialysis (CVVHD) with citrate-calcium anticoagulation for acute kidney injury (AKI) with coincident hyponatremia remains unclear. We aimed to explore the feasibility of CVVHD with standard dialysate and citrate-calcium anticoagulation in hyponatremic critically ill AKI patients.

METHODS

Thirty-seven of the 493 critically ill AKI patients requiring CVVHD and admitted to our intensive care unit during a 10-year period had hyponatremia (<130 mmol/L) and were included in this retrospective study. All patients received CVVHD with citrate-calcium anticoagulation and standard commercial dialysate and plasma sodium concentrations were frequently controlled until death or CVVHD discontinuation. Clinical data, mortalities and cases of central pontine myelinolysis within one-year follow-up were recorded.

RESULTS

Median plasma sodium concentration was 127 (IQR 124-129) mmol/L at CVVHD initiation. CVVHD duration was median 3 (IQR 1.5-5.5) days and the mean daily sodium load of the trisodium citrate solution during the first 3 days of CVVHD was 1754 (SD 730) mmol. The plasma sodium concentration increased a median 8 (IQR 5-10) mmol/L during the first 24 hours of CVVHD and excessively high plasma sodium correction (>8 mmol/L/24 h) was observed in 18 (48.6%) patients. However, increased mortality in association to rapid plasma sodium correction was not observed in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

CVVHD using standard citrate-calcium anticoagulation effectively increased plasma sodium concentration in this study. However, excessively high plasma sodium correction was observed in half of the patients and the sodium load provided by the standard citrate anticoagulation solutions was substantial.

Cefiderocol in Critically Ill Patients with Multi-Drug Resistant Pathogens: Real-Life Data on Pharmacokinetics and Microbiological Surveillance

Cefiderocol is a new siderophore-cephalosporin for the treatment of multi-drug resistant Gram-negative pathogens. As a reserve agent, it will and should be used primarily in critically ill patients in the upcoming years. Due to the novelty of the substance little data on the pharmacokinetics in critically ill patients with septic shock and renal failure (including continuous renal replacement therapy and cytokine adsorber therapy) is available. We performed therapeutic drug monitoring in a cohort of five patients treated with cefiderocol, to improve the knowledge on pharmacokinetics in this vulnerable patient population. As expected for a cephalosporin with predominantly renal elimination the maintenance dose could be reduced in patients with renal impairment or on continuous renal replacement therapy. The manufacturer’s dosing instructions were sufficient to achieve a drug level well above the MIC. However, the addition of a cytokine adsorber might reduce serum levels substantially, so that in this context therapeutic drug monitoring and dose adjustment are recommended.

The Production, Efficacy, and Safety of Machine-Generated Bicarbonate Solution for Continuous Venovenous Hemodialysis (CVVHD): The Cleveland Clinic Method

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE

Since 1994, the Nephrology and Hypertension Department at the Cleveland Clinic has prepared and used bicarbonate-based solution for continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD) using a standard volumetric hemodialysis machine rather than purchasing from a commercial vendor. This report describes the process of producing Cleveland Clinic UltraPure Solution (CCUPS), quality and safety monitoring, economic costs, and clinical outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS

CVVHD experience at Cleveland Clinic, focusing on dialysate production, institutional factors, and patients requiring continuous kidney replacement therapy. Production is shown at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGQgephMEwA.

OUTCOMES

Feasibility, safety , and cost.

RESULTS

Of 6,426 patients treated between 2011 and 2019 with continuous kidney replacement therapy, 59% were men, 71% were White, 40% had diabetes mellitus, and 74% presented with acute kidney injury. 98% of patients were treated with CVVHD using CCUPS, while the remaining 2% were treated with either continuous venovenous hemofiltration or continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration using commercial solution. The prescribed and delivered effluent doses were 24.8 (IQR) versus 20.7 mL/kg/h (IQR), respectively. CCUPS was as effective in restoring electrolyte and serum bicarbonate levels and reducing phosphate, creatinine, and serum urea nitrogen levels as compared with packaged commercial solution over a 3-day period following initiation of dialysis, with a comparable effluent dose. Among those with acute kidney injury, mortality was similar to that predicted with the 60-day acute kidney injury predicted mortality score (r = 0.997; CI: 0.989-0.999). At our institution, the cost of production for 1 L of CCUPS is $0.67, which is considerably less than the cost of commercially purchased fluid.

LIMITATIONS

Observational design without a rigorous control group.

CONCLUSIONS

CVVHD using locally generated dialysate is safe and cost-effective.

Identification of risk factors for renal failure after cardiac surgery by RFILE classification

OBJECTIVE

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major complication after cardiovascular surgery. The unclear etiology of this highly complex event challenges definition, diagnosis and prediction of AKI, and hence hampers adequate patient management. Identification of associated risk factors have the potential to overcome this limitation.

METHODS

This retrospective study comprised 3574 patients who underwent cardiac surgery in a hospital in Germany. The patient cohort was interrogated for risk factors for AKI.

RESULTS

The analysis identified risk factors for AKI development, such as type of surgery (particularly bypass surgery) (P = 0.02), previous coronary surgeries (P < 0.01), the application of intra-aortic balloon pump in surgery (P < 0.01), and blood loss during surgery (P < 0.01). In addition, old age, duration of surgery as well as ischemia, perfusion and reperfusion times contributed to AKI development (P < 0.01). Further, perioperative hypothermia also appeared as putative risk factor in the analysis (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified several risk factors for the development of AKI after cardiac surgery. Further validation of these risk factors could allow the implementation of adequate patient management, and the appropriate implementation of risk-adverse interventions in cardiovascular surgery.

Regional citrate versus systemic heparin anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy in critically ill children

OBJECTIVES

Anticoagulation is used to prevent filter clotting in patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy. Regional citrate anticoagulation is associated with lower rates of bleeding complications and prolongs the filter life span; however, a number of metabolic side effects had been associated with this therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect and safety of citrate versus heparin anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy in critically ill children.

METHODS

A retrospective comparative cohort study. Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University School of Medicine.

RESULTS

From August 2016 to August 2018, 45 patients (19 in the citrate group and 26 in the heparin group) were included. A total of 101 hemofilters were used in all therapies: 44 in the citrate group (total continuous renal replacement therapy time: 2699 h) and 57 in the heparin group (total continuous renal replacement therapy time: 2383 h). The median circuit lifetime was significantly longer for regional citrate anticoagulation (53.0; interquartile range, 40-70 h) than for heparin anticoagulation (40.25; interquartile range, 22.75-53.5 h; p = 0.025). Mortality rates were similar in both groups (31.58% vs 30.77%). The most common indication for dialysis was hypervolemia in both groups. Transfusion rates were 1.65 units (interquartile range, 0.5-2.38) with heparin and 0.8 units (interquartile range, 0.3-2.0) with citrate (p = 0.32). Clotting-related hemofilter failure occurred in 11.36% of filters in the citrate group compared with 26.31% of filters in the heparin group.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that citrate is superior in terms of safety and efficacy, with longer filter life span. Regional citrate should be considered as a better anticoagulation method than heparin for continuous renal replacement therapy in critically ill children.

[Improve the Ability of Nurses to Implement Continuous Veno-Venous Hemodialysis]

BACKGROUND & PROBLEM

Many critically ill patients require continuous veno-venous hemodialysis (CVVH) due to their hemodynamic instability and high-dose inotropic use. However, our surgical intensive care unit nursing staffs are often unable to set up the dialysis circuit in a correct and timely manner, which necessitates requesting the assistance of nearby units. After detailed investigation and analysis, this problem is attributable to the lack of nursing staff hands-on practice, an over reliance on oral instructions, the insufficiency of in-service education, and a lack of familiarity with CVVH set-up equipment.

PURPOSE

This project was designed to augment the comprehension and accuracy rates of clinical CVVH practice among nursing staff to >90%.

RESOLUTIONS

In order to help our nursing staffs master the skills necessary to manage the CVVH device, we employed versatile and effective strategies that included providing electronic teaching materials and instruction handbooks as well as practical hands-on sessions and clinical scenario simulations. Moreover, we conducted serial core courses and held case conferences that focused on the topic of CVVH nursing care. Furthermore, training programs for new members were devised, the standard CVVH device checklist was modified, and a specialized preparation area was delineated in hopes of improve nursing-care standards.

RESULTS

Under these schemes, the rate of comprehension of CVVH among nursing staffs increased from 55.2% to 90.8% and the accuracy rate of clinical practice increased from 61.9% to 90.5%.

CONCLUSION

Our implementation of various effective strategies not only promoted the CVVH management ability of nursing staffs but also provided quality care to critically ill patients.