
Human Factors Validation Testing for the Peripal System; a Manual Connection Assist Device for Peritoneal...
End Stage Renal Failure on DialysisEnd Stage Renal Disease on Dialysis3 moreIt is estimated that there are currently over 3 million patients receiving dialysis treatment worldwide. With effective pre-dialysis counselling, a majority of patients choose the home-based therapy peritoneal dialysis (PD) but only approximately 11% of prevalent dialysis patients use this modality. Connection-assist devices can overcome the challenges posed by decreased manual dexterity and/or visual acuity, and can allow more patients to be treated with home-based therapies. As part of the CE marking authorization, a connection device has been evaluated for safety and ease of use in a usability study.

Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of Ultrasound Guided Supraclavicular Block Combined With Either...
Best Regional Nerve Block for Creation of Surgical Brachiobasilic FistulaIn our study we are trying to reach to the more efficient us guided peripheral nerve block either intercosto-brachial or PPEC 11 that can be combined with us guided supraclavicular block to effectively anesthetise the surgical site for creation of brachio-basilic fistula as regarding onset of surgical anesthesia, adequacy of intra-operative anesthesia, the need for surgical wound infiltration, duration of postoperative analgesia and the failure rate of the fistulae.

Decision Aid for Renal Therapy
Chronic Kidney DiseasesKidney Failure1 moreGood communication among patients, their families and loved ones, and their medical care providers is important when figuring out how to treat chronic diseases like kidney disease. A lot of people may not know all of their choices for how to treat kidney disease, and this can lead to rushed decisions or even a sense that there weren't any choices to make. In this study, the investigators are trying to find out if a decision-aid program on a computer can help people with kidney disease have more confidence in their decisions and have better agreement about their decisions with their families and loved ones. The DART study will be conducted at four sites in different areas of the country: Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Chicago, Illinois; and San Diego, California. The study will enroll a total of 400 people with kidney disease at these four sites.

Determinants of Vascular Calcification in Chronic Renal Failure : Impact of Pyrophosphate Levels...
Chronic Kidney DiseasesArterial calcifications (AC) are constant lesions in patients with Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD). Renal transplantation would reduce their progression compared to dialysis. AC pathophysiology is a complex and finely regulated process that involves many local and systemic factors, both pro- and anti-calcification. The progression of the CKD is accompanied by an increase in phosphate levels as the renal excretion capacity of inorganic phosphates (Pi) decreases while their digestive absorption remains unchanged. Hyperphosphatremia is a well-identified calcifying factor contributing to ACs in the CKD. On the other hand, pyrophosphate (PPi) is an anti-calcifying factor from the hydrolysis of extracellular ATP by ectonucleotidases. While there are many factors that may contribute to a protective effect against AC progression of renal transplantation, no study has been yet analysed the role of PPi. Plasma concentration of PPi is decreased in dialysis patients compared to non-kidney failure patients. The main objective of this monocentric, prospective and interventional pilot study will be to compare the progression of CA and [PPi]pl between a group of renal transplant patients over the past 24 months and a group of dialysis patients over the same period of time. The secondary objectives will be to compare the progression of ACs and the ratio[PPi]pl/[Pi]pl between transplanted and dialysis patients. Transplanted patients will be included within 24 (±3) months of transplant. Dialysis patients will be included at 24 (±3) months of the CT scan performed during the pre-transplant check-up. At inclusion, all patients will benefit from a CT scan without injection and a plasma dose of PPi, Pi and other factors involved in controlling calcification.

The Effect of Exercise on Blood Parameters Related to Dialysis Patients' Survival
Chronic Kidney DiseasesEnd Stage Renal Disease1 moreThe purpose of this study is to check if patients' exercise during their dialysis sessions can improve the blood parameters which affect the heart disease and osteoporosis, so that we can help patients live longer.

Nurse-led Intervention to Improve Phosphate Binder Adherence
End Stage Renal Failure on DialysisThe study aim is to test the efficacy of one-year nurse-led interventions to improve the medication intake behaviour of chronic dialysis patients. The investigators hypothesis is the interventions leading to a 15% mean increase in intake, compared to standard care.

Increasing Kidney Transplant Among Blacks on the Transplant Waiting List
Chronic Kidney DiseaseEnd-Stage Renal DiseaseFor most patients with kidney failure, living donor kidney transplant (LDKT) is their best treatment option. Unfortunately, Blacks (vs. non-Blacks) are more likely to have kidney failure but less likely to receive LDKTs. In this study, the investigators will test an intervention designed to address this disparity, by performing a parallel group, two-arm randomized clinical trial among 500 Black kidney transplant candidates. The main objective of this study is to test an educational and behavioral intervention that is designed to increase receipt of LDKT among transplant candidates (persons active on the deceased donor kidney transplant waiting list) who are Black. Our overall hypothesis is that a multi-component intervention administered to Black transplant candidates will increase both readiness to pursue LDKT and actual receipt of LDKTs. The investigators will randomly assign kidney transplant candidates on the kidney transplant waiting list to either: (1) a control group that will receive Usual Care, or (2) an Intervention group that will receive a group-based intervention, as well as monthly mailings and a follow-up phone call by a transplant educator.

Communicating About Choices in Transplantation
End Stage Renal Disease and Kidney TransplantationThe purpose of this study is to test the impact of a newly developed educational program on kidney transplant candidates' communication about living and deceased donor kidney transplantation.

Effect of Renal Transplantation on Obstructive Sleep Apnea in End Stage Renal Disease Patients (SASinTx)...
Obstructive Sleep ApneaOverhydration2 moreThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of renal transplantation on fluid overload and its consequence on the severity of obstructive sleep apnea, in patients with end stage chronic kidney disease. It aims further to investigate the relationship between overhydration, nocturnal rostral fluid shift and the severity of sleep apnea.

Improving Evidence-Based Primary Care for Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney DiseaseChronic Kidney Insufficiency4 moreBackground: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is under-recognized and under-treated in primary care offices and primary care physicians are generally not familiar with treatment guidelines. Even when diagnosed properly, as a chronic condition CKD is frequently associated with co-morbidities that make effective treatment difficult due to complexity of care. Availability of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) for CKD may help promote effective, evidence-based care, but evidence suggests that CDS alone may not be sufficient for quality improvement and other interventions such as CDS plus practice facilitation may be needed. Purpose: The project aims to: 1) assess the viability of CDS in implementing evidence-based guidelines for Primary Care Practices (PCPs) and 2) to develop evidence-based practice guidelines that PCPs may use to enhance the care they provide to a difficult to manage segment of the healthcare population. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial of point-of-care CDS plus full TRANSLATE model of practice change, versus CDS alone. The study aims to analyze differences in promoting evidence-based care in primary care practices. Thirty-six practices will be recruited for this study. Patient inclusion criteria: adult patients with estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) of <60 and >15ml/min/1.73m2 confirmed with repeat testing over three or more months. A process evaluation will be conducted between the CDS practices with facilitation and the CDS only practices to assess clinical outcomes of CKD progression and all-cause mortality. Lastly, a cost-effective analysis will compare the cost-to-benefit ratio of CDS alone to that of CDS plus TRANSLATE (i.e. practice facilitation) in relation to cost per quality adjusted years of life. This study is funded by NIH NIDDK under R01 mechanism starting on 07/01/2011 and ending on 06/30/2016.