September 21, 2020 Ģý 6 min read
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By taking a more personalized approach to renal replacement therapy (RRT), it is possible to reduce the very high incidence ofand death among kidney disease patients. Specific strategies include thorough cardiac screening and risk assessment, evaluation of individual lifestyle factors, consideration of various treatment options such as home-based therapies, and ongoing attention to the manageable complications of dialysis. Detecting and controllingand hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac remodeling, and vascular calcification can significantly improve the cardiovascular health of individual patients.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.1CVD is highly prevalent in 30 to 50 percent of late-stage CKD patients starting dialysis and steadily increases up to 60 to 70 percent of CKD patients on maintenance dialysis.2,3From a pathophysiological perspective, 60 to 80 percent of CKD patients at stage 5 begin dialysis, or renal replacement therapy (RRT), with hypertension and fluid overload, major risk factors for cardiac disease.4,5,6The percentage remains between 30 and 70 percent in prevalent stabilized dialysis patients (Figure 1).3,7,8,9,10,11Furthermore, the relative risk of death from cardiovascular events is between 10 and 30 times higher in late-stage CKD population compared with the general population.12,13
Figure 1|Pathophysiological mechanisms involved in uremic cardiomyopathy development
CVD should not be considered as an intractable fatality of CKD patients but rather should encourage exploration of solutions to efficiently fight this plague.14CVD results from multiple factors that may be classified as non-modifiable or modifiable.15,16Nonmodifiable factors include age, gender, ethnicity, genetics, and comorbid condition. Modifiable factors include dialysis option, treatment schedule and protocol, practice patterns, quality care management, and lifestyle-related factors such as diet, environment, and treatment observance.
IMPROVING CARDIAC OUTCOMES IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS: THE TOP FIVE ESSENTIALS
factors can be addressed through RRT that focuses on five common manageable complications: correcting fluid overload and hypertension, detecting and preventing cardiac arrhythmia, reversing cardiac remodeling, detecting and preventing vascular calcification, and adjusting RRT to patient risk stratification (Figure 2, Figure 3).17
Figure 2|Five essential actions to reduce cardiac mortality in CKD5 dialysis patients
Figure 3|Goal-oriented patient care
CORRECTING SODIUM EXCESS, VOLUME OVERLOAD, AND HYPERTENSION
Extra-cellular fluid overload (FO) is a major source of morbidity of hemodialysis (HD) patients. In a retrospective cohort study using US Renal Data System data, it has been shown that severe fluid overload, such as pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure, is a significant cause of hospital admission and 30-day re-admission.18This observation suggests that fluid volume is not adequately managed in maintenance HD patients, worsening during the transition period from the hospital to the dialysis unit. Interestingly, according to a 2004 Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) report including 16,720 prevalent HD patients (1996-2002), 46 percent of United States and 25 percent of HD patients present with congestive heart failure suggesting exposure to chronic FO.19 Long-term exposure to FO and hypertension trigger cardiac remodeling, contributing to heart failure in dialysis patients.21,22This kidney/cardiac cross-talk has been identified as a typical example of a self-aggravating process.22
Restoring sodium mass balance, volume, and blood pressure control are critical to minimizing dialysis patient cardiac risk. A comprehensive, precise approach to managing fluid volume and hemodynamic status of dialysis patients should rely on a four-step approach, with specific adaptations according to dialysis modality.33,34
DETECTING AND PREVENTING CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA AND SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH
Cardiac arrhythmia (CA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) account for 26.9 percent of mortality in CKD5 HD patients.2Although CKD patients are at increased risk for arrhythmias, the underlying mechanisms of CA and their association with SCD are not completely understood.48,49Several explanations have been proposed, but they are likely facilitated by cardiac structural changes. CKD5 HD patients often present with a histopathology referred to as Ģýuremic cardiomyopathy,Ģý a finding that includes varying degrees of left ventricular hypertrophy and dilation, systolic and diastolic dysfunction, and fibrosisĢýwhich predispose the patient to arrhythmias.
Intermittent HD treatments may also trigger arrhythmias through the interaction of cardiac ischemia and electrolyte shifts. Additional factors may be implicated such as profound anemia, hypoxemia, and clearance of cardiac medications. Comparatively, the risk of triggering arrhythmia during PD is reduced and may offer a therapeutic alternative for arrhythmic-prone patients.
Clinically significant arrhythmias are common in HD patients, and bradycardia and asystoleĢýrather than ventricular tachycardiaĢýmay be key causes of sudden death in HD patients. Dialysis practices have a strong impact on incidence, type, and severity of arrhythmias. Therefore, new treatment approaches to prevent arrhythmias and SCD are critical.
REVERSING CARDIAC REMODELING
Cardiac remodeling is a strong determinant of cardiac outcome, including heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden death in CKD5 HD patients, resulting mainly from hemodynamic load (fluid overload, hypertension) and unload (fluid depletion, ischemic injury) imposed by intermittent HD.61,62Cardiac remodeling may also be influenced by:
Other factors unrelated to remodeling may also affect cardiac structure and influence the course of heart disease, including ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, and valvular disease.
Slowing or reversing cardiac remodeling should be a priority goal in dialysis patient heart management.63,68In this context, three complementary approaches to systematically modulate cardiac remodeling may prove beneficial: mechanical, pharmacological, and biological interventions.
Mechanical intervention relies on a strict control of both volume and pressure, a Ģývolume firstĢý policy.69Pharmacological intervention introduces the use of cardiac agentsĢýsuch as betaadrenergic blockers, ACE inhibitors, AR blockers, and aldosterone antagonistsĢýwhen fluid volume and pressure are corrected.26,68,70These cardiac agents may provide additional benefits by slowing or reversing cardiac structure abnormalities and by improving hemodynamic function. Biological intervention focuses on improving tolerance and enhancing RRT modality efficiency by revisiting treatment options, schedule, and time.71,72,73
Precise cardiac management of CKD5 dialysis patients should be performed in close collaboration with a cardiology team in conjunction with cardiac monitoring and biomarkers.
DETECTING AND PREVENTING VASCULAR AND VALVULAR CALCIFICATION
Vascular and valvular calcifications are major risk factors for CKD5 dialysis patients. Arterial medial calcification is responsible for increased vascular stiffness, while arterial intima calcification facilitates plaque rupture.74,75Valvular calcification is responsible for aortic stenosis.76Calcification modifies cardiac structure and functionality, resulting in heart failure. Vascular calcification is an active, complex process caused by uremic bone metabolic disorders, regulatory failure of the calcificationinhibitory system, and active phenotypic change in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) into osteoblast-like cells.77,78Monitoring vascular calcification process or risk should be part of best clinical practices.
Several therapeutic interventions have shown interesting results in delaying vascular calcification. They include introducing noncalcium-containing phosphate binders, low-dose active vitamin D, and calcimimetics; supplementing magnesium; enhancing RRT efficiency; and adjusting dialysate composition.83Delaying or reducing vascular calcification is feasible by combining several approaches; however, questions remain about if these risk reduction measures correlate with better cardiac outcomes for dialysis patients; further studies are necessary.
CUSTOMIZING RRT: PATIENT RISK, PREFERENCE, AND PERCEPTION
RRT must trend away from Ģýone size fits allĢý to a more personalized and customized approach.84In other words, dialysis treatment should fit patient needs, patient risk, and patient perception rather than the reverse as it is currently applied. This is the clinical meaning of patient-centered care. In that perspective, choice of dialysis modality should result from shared decision making involving patient, physician, and main stakeholders where various treatment options are discussed in terms of benefits and risks.85Ultimately, the nephrologist will identify patient medical risks, evaluate personal motivations and feasibility, as well as assess individual capabilities for self-care treatment.86
Cardiac risk screening and profile stratification are paramount best clinical practices in managing dialysis patients. A baseline cardiovascular screening should be performed upon initiation of dialysis, with regular annual screenings scheduled to monitor changes in cardiac structure, carotid and supra aortic arteries, thoracic and abdominal aorta, and peripheral arterial limbs.87A more precise cardiac assessment relying on cardiac structural and functional characteristics is required for dialysis patients suitability, including electrocardiography, echocardiography, vascular calcification score or pulse wave velocity, and cardiac biomarkers.88 Depending on the specific patient risk and baseline cardiac screening, additional cardiac explorations might be indicated.
Based on patient assessment and shared decision-making processes, a personalized dialysis modality suited to patient expectations might be identified with a high degree of success. Several studies have shown that empowering patients enhances their trust and consequently facilitates the use of self-treatment options, increases treatment adherence, and improves outcomes.86,102,103,104Furthermore, it is commonly recognized that more frequent dialysis, longer treatment time, specific modalities, or home-based therapies may further improve patient perception and cardiac outcomes.89RRT customization and adjustment should include patient-centered goals and experience as quality care indicators.17,84,90,91
The nephrology team continues to be responsible for regularly monitoring dialysis treatment performances and tolerance, revising and readjusting prescription and modality as medically necessary. In brief, the shared decision process and patient empowerment may enhance RRT value with a higher quality of life by improving outcomes. Rapidly expanding technological toolsĢýincluding digital medicine, connected devices, and the support of artificial intelligenceĢýhave demonstrated additional means to improve patient outcomes by providing reliable quality control tools for care teams.92New metrics focused on patient needs, such as patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) or patient-reported experience measures (PREM), will further enrich the panel of clinical performance measures. Several recent studies have shown the strong predictive value of PROM tools, particularly when they are digitally supported or web based.93,94,95
Cardiac burden should not be considered as an intractable fatality of advanced CKD patients on maintenance renal replacement therapy (PD, HD, kidney transplant), but rather should encourage exploration of effective RRT solutions to halt this frustrating and devastating process.96,97,98,99,100,101Through customized, personalized RRT, it is possible to not only address CKD-CVD but also manage patient risk, preference, and perception for every patient, every day.