METHODS: This is a case series of 11 patients with history of previous IPS who underwent TC insertion under combined fluoroscopic and sonographic (CFS) guidance with preperitoneal tunneling at our center.
RESULTS: This is an interim result of our study. The mean age of the patients was 49.1 (±12.7). Seven were females, and four were males. Only two patients underwent more than one IPS prior to this procedure. The mean body mass index (BMI) of patients was 29.2 kg/m2 (±6.2). All patients underwent the procedure successfully. One patient developed post-procedure exit site bleeding which resolved spontaneously. One patient had urgent-start peritoneal dialysis (PD) (less than 72 h), and two patients had early-start PD (less than 2 weeks). Median catheter survival is 8 months at the time of writing.
CONCLUSION: CFS-assisted TC insertion with preperitoneal tunneling for patients with previous IPS is a safe and effective technique.
METHODS: The Association of VA and intervenTionAl Renal physicians (AVATAR) Foundation from India conducted a multinational online survey amongst nephrologists from the Asia-Pacific to determine the practice of IN in the planning, creation, and management of dialysis access. The treatment modalities, manpower and equipment availability, monthly cost of treatment, specifics of dialysis access interventions, and challenges in the training and practice of IN by nephrologists were included in the survey.
RESULTS: Twenty-one countries from the APR participated in the survey. Nephrologists from 18 (85.7%) countries reported performing at least one of the basic dialysis access-related IN procedures, primarily the placement of non-tunnelled central catheters (n-TCC; 71.5%). Only 10 countries (47.6%) reported having an average of <4% of nephrologists performing any of the advanced IN access procedures, the most common being the placement of a peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter (20%). Lack of formal training (57.14%), time (42.8%), incentive (38%), institutional support (38%), medico-legal protection (28.6%), and prohibitive cost (23.8%) were the main challenges to practice IN. The primary obstacles to implementing the IN training were a lack of funding and skilled personnel.
CONCLUSION: The practice of dialysis access-related IN in APR is inadequate, mostly due to a lack of training, backup support, and economic constraints, whereas training in access-related IN is constrained by a lack of a skilled workforce and finances.
METHODS: All patients with defects within the oval fossa deemed potentially suitable for transcatheter closure were investigated by transesophageal echocardiography with the aim of gaining extra information that might alter the decision to use the device to close the defect. Views were obtained in transverse and longitudinal planes, permitting measurements of the diameter of the defect, and its distance from the atrioventricular valves, coronary sinus, and pulmonary veins. Additionally, we sought to identify multiple defects, and to exclude sinus venosus defects.
RESULTS: Of 56 patients with left-to-right shunts, 41 (73.2%) were deemed suitable for closure with the Amplatzer Septal Occluder. All underwent the procedure successfully, with no complications. This includes 5 patients with multiple small defects that were sufficiently close to the main defect to be closed with a single device. Only two of these had been detected on the transthoracic study. In the remaining 15 of 56 patients, transcatheter closure was deemed unsuitable. In 9 patients, this was due to the limitation of the size of the device available during the period of study, this representing a relative contraindication. In the remaining 6 (10.7%), transcatheter closure was not performed because multiple defects were too far apart to be closed with a single device in 3 patients, two patients were noted to have a sinus venosus defect, and another was noted to have anomalous connection of the right upper pulmonary vein to the right atrium. Excluding patients contraindicated due to the size of the defect alone, transesophageal echocardiography provided extra information in one-tenth of our patients, which altered the decision regarding management.
CONCLUSION: Transesophageal echocardiography is indispensable in the evaluation of patients undergoing transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect.
SUMMARY: Nephrologist-initiated peritoneoscopic PD access programs have had a positive impact on PD penetration. The technique has been associated with a better primary success rate, superior catheter survival, less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay, and shorter catheter break-in time compared with the conventional surgical technique. The role of interventional nephrologists in peritoneoscope Tenckhoff catheter placement is still perceived to be a relatively new advance, investigational by some, and many nephrologists and surgeons alike remain sceptical of the value of this recent option. Crucial questions often raised are how many procedures one needs to perform before being considered competent and who should be credentialed to perform the procedure or supervise trainees performing it. The evaluation of technical proficiency in a specific operation is difficult and complex. Cumulative summation (CUSUM) analysis is one option for tracking the success and failure of technical skill and examining trends over time. Key Messages: The author's facility has had good outcomes with a nephrologist-initiated peritoneoscopic PD access programme. Quality control of PD catheter insertion can be performed using CUSUM charting to monitor for primary catheter dysfunction, primary leak, and primary peritonitis.
AIM: The primary objective is to determine the predictive capacity of the PPG for post-PCI FFR.
METHODS: This prospective, large-scale, controlled, investigator-initiated, multicenter study is enrolling patients with at least 1 lesion in a major epicardial vessel with a distal FFR ≤ 0.80 intended to be treated by PCI. The study will include 982 subjects. A standardized physiological assessment will be performed pre-PCI, including the online calculation of PPG from FFR pullbacks performed manually. PPG quantifies the CAD pattern by combining several parameters from the FFR pullback curve. Post-PCI physiology will be recorded using a standardized protocol with FFR pullbacks. We hypothesize that PPG will predict optimal PCI results (post-PCI FFR ≥ 0.88) with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) ≥ 0.80. Secondary objectives include patient-reported and clinical outcomes in patients with focal vs. diffuse CAD defined by the PPG. Clinical follow-up will be collected for up to 36 months, and an independent clinical event committee will adjudicate events.
RESULTS: Recruitment is ongoing and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023.
CONCLUSION: This international, large-scale, prospective study with pre-specified powered hypotheses will determine the ability of the preprocedural PPG index to predict optimal revascularization assessed by post-PCI FFR. In addition, it will evaluate the impact of PPG on treatment decisions and the predictive performance of PPG for angina relief and clinical outcomes.
METHODS: A randomized trial was performed in a university hospital in Malaysia. Participants were nulliparas at term with unripe cervixes (Bishop Score ≤ 5) admitted for IoL who were randomized to digital or speculum-aided transcervical Foley catheter insertion in lithotomy position. Primary outcomes were insertion duration, pain score [11-point Visual Numerical Rating Scale (VNRS)], and failure. All primary outcomes were recorded after the first insertion.
RESULTS: Data from 86 participants were analysed. Insertion duration (with standard deviation) was 2.72 ± 1.85 vs. 2.25 ± 0.55 min p = 0.12, pain score (VNRS) median [interquartile range] 3.5 [2-5] vs. 3 [2-5] p = 0.72 and failure 2/42 (5%) vs. 0/44 (0%) p = 0.24 for digital vs speculum respectively. There was no significant difference found between the two groups for all three primary outcomes. Induction to delivery 30.7 ± 9.4 vs 29.6 ± 11.5 h p = 0.64, Cesarean section 25/60 (64%) vs 28/64 (60%) RR 0.9 95% CI p = 0.7 and maternal satisfaction VNRS score with the birth process 7 [IQR 6-8] vs 7 [7-8] p = 0.97 for digital vs. speculum arms respectively. Other labor, delivery and neonatal secondary outcomes were not significantly different.
CONCLUSION: Digital and speculum insertion in nulliparas with unripe cervixes had similar insertion performance. As digital insertion required less equipment and consumables, it could be the preferred insertion method for the equally adept and the insertion technique to train towards.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered with ISRCTN registration number 13804902 on 15 November 2017.