Suzanne Watnick

• University of Washington

Purpose of review The climate crisis poses significant challenges across various sectors, including healthcare, where resource consumption often exacerbates environmental issues. This review addresses concerns over current levels of water use for dialysis treatment, a critical procedure for patients with kidney failure. Despite its life-saving impo...

Importance More than 3.5 million people worldwide and 540 000 individuals in the US receive maintenance hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis for the treatment of chronic kidney failure. The 5-year survival rate is approximately 40% after initiation of maintenance dialysis. Observations Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis remove metabolic waste and...

Advocacy and policy change are powerful levers to improve quality of care and better support patients on home dialysis. While the kidney community increasingly recognizes the value of home dialysis as an option for patients who prioritize independence and flexibility, only a minority of patients dialyze at home in the United States. Complex system-...

Home dialysis modalities (home hemodialysis [HD] and peritoneal dialysis [PD]) are associated with greater patient autonomy and treatment satisfaction compared with in-center modalities, yet the level of home-dialysis use worldwide is low. Reasons for limited utilization are context-dependent, informed by local resources, dialysis costs, access to...

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Importance Meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials have indicated that improved hypertension control reduces the risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. However, it is unclear to what extent pathways reflective of Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology are affected by hypertension control. Objective To evaluate the association of intensive blood...

The recently published 2020 International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) practice recommendations regarding prescription of high-quality goal-directed peritoneal dialysis differ fundamentally from previous guidelines that focused on “adequacy” of dialysis. The new ISPD publication emphasizes the need for a person-centered approach with shar...

The COVID-19 pandemic, technological advancements, regulatory waivers, and user acceptance converged to boost telehealth activities during the public health emergency. Providers were able to deliver and bill for services across state lines for new and established patients via HIPAA and non-HIPAA compliant platforms with home as the originating site...

The Northwest Kidney Center (NWC) in Seattle, Washington, has been a leader in nephrology care for almost 60 years, opening the first hemodialysis unit in the United States in 1962. In February 2020, one of their patients was the first reported death from COVID-19 in the United States. On April 6, 2020, as a part of NNJ Extra - the Nephrology Nursi...

Globally, the number of patients undergoing maintenance dialysis is increasing, yet throughout the world there is significant variability in the practice of initiating dialysis. Factors such as availability of resources, reasons for starting dialysis, timing of dialysis initiation, patient education and preparedness, dialysis modality and access, a...

Since 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has provided reimbursement for renal dialysis services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries through a bundled payment system known as the Prospective Payment System. Medications that have no injectable equivalent, known as “oral-only medications,” are currently excluded from the bundle and are...

Background: In individuals with a low diastolic blood pressure (DBP), the potential benefits or risks of intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowering are unclear. Methods: SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) was a randomized controlled trial that compared the effects of intensive (target <120 mm Hg) and standard (target <140...

The ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) is the first mandatory federal pay for performance program launched on January 1, 2012. The QIP is tied to the ESRD prospective payment system and mandated by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, which directed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand the payment...

The rate of AKI requiring dialysis has increased significantly over the past decade in the United States. At the same time, survival from AKI seems to be improving, and thus, more patients with AKI are surviving to discharge while still requiring dialysis. Currently, the options for providing outpatient dialysis in patients with AKI are limited, pa...

The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases-supported Kidney Research National Dialogue asked the scientific community to formulate and prioritize research objectives that would improve our understanding of kidney function and disease. Kidney Research National Dialogue participants identified the need to improve outcomes in E...

The first governmental agency to provide maintenance hemodialysis to patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) was the Veterans Administration (VA; now the US Department of Veterans Affairs). Many historical VA policies and programs set the stage for the later care of both veteran and civilian patients with ESRD. More recent VA initiatives that...

Background Combination therapy with angiotensin-converting–enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) decreases proteinuria; however, its safety and effect on the progression of kidney disease are uncertain. Methods We provided losartan (at a dose of 100 mg per day) to patients with type 2 diabetes, a urinary albumin-to-creat...

In the United States, multiple stakeholders have impacted the timing of dialysis initiation for patients with end-stage renal disease. The optimal policy to start dialysis for this vulnerable population remains unknown. Historically, patients initiated dialysis weeks after the appearance of uremic symptoms. This changed not only due to an evolution...

In addition to extending health insurance coverage, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 aims to improve quality of care and contain costs. To this end, the act allowed introduction of bundled payments for a range of services, proposed the creation of accountable care organizations (ACOs), and established the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation...

Oral calcitriol decreases parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations in patients who have chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, treatment response is highly variable. We evaluated whether patient characteristics affect the PTH response to oral calcitriol in nondialysis patients with CKD in a clinic-based setting. Cohort study. This study included 37...

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is primarily a skin disorder associated with renal insufficiency and exposure to gadolinium-containing (GAD+) contrast. We present the case of a 64-year-old man who was exposed to gadolinium while in acute renal failure, and months later developed limb stiffness, proximal weakness, and woody muscle texture. Muscle biop...

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for most patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), offering improved quality of life and overall survival rates. However, the limited supply of available organs makes this a scarce resource. Cardiovascular complications continue to be the leading cause of morta...

Silicate calculi are common in some mammals, such as dogs and sheep, but extremely rare in humans. We report a case of silicate calculi in a woman using oral over-the-counter Uncaria tomentosa, Digestive Advantage and FlexProtex supplements. All 3 contained the excipient silica dioxide. Stone analysis showed composition of 100% silicate. The nephro...

Gadolinium (Gd) based contrast agents (GBCAs) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used in daily clinical practice and appear safe in most patients; however, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a recently recognized severe complication associated with GBCAs. It affects primarily patients with renal disease, such as stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney...

Academic etiquette is an underexplored and underemphasized topic. Yet, a collegial atmosphere is essential to accomplish the missions of an academic medical center. Appropriate social, personal, and cultural behaviors are not only desirable, but they are also necessary to practice and emulate. As faculty in an academic center, one may want to share...

Understanding of the maternal syndrome of pre-eclampsia has greatly improved over the past 5 years. Specifically, the notion has emerged that the placenta is a source of antiangiogenic factors, such as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1, that can progressively impair the mother's vascular and glomerular function throughout pregnancy. This impairmen...

The optimal intensity of renal-replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury is controversial. We randomly assigned critically ill patients with acute kidney injury and failure of at least one nonrenal organ or sepsis to receive intensive or less intensive renal-replacement therapy. The primary end point was death from any...

In this manuscript we review the most recent data regarding birth rates and complications in the kidney transplant population. Despite improved fertility, contraceptive counseling is infrequent and contraceptive use engenders many problems not frequently seen in women of childbearing age. Pregnancy outcomes in this population are improving, but the...

To date there has been no general consensus regarding the effectiveness of N-acetylcysteine as a protective therapy against contrast medium-induced nephropathy. Several phase III clinical trials have been conducted without a proper understanding of N-acetylcysteine pharmacology, particularly with regard to first-pass hepatic metabolism. A review wa...

Previous reports have described white particulate matter in banked blood components, but no prior public reports describe such matter in blood tubing during the course of routine in-center hemodialysis. This report describes the events, investigations, and preliminary conclusions associated with the spontaneous formation of adherent white thrombus...

Aminoglycoside antibiotic efficacy is related to peak concentration (C(max)) and postantibiotic effect, whereas toxicity is directly related to body exposure as measured by area under the serum concentration versus time curve (AUC). On the basis of pharmacokinetic simulation models, tobramycin administration during the first 30 min of high-flux hem...

Women with kidney disease of childbearing age should expect proactive counseling regarding pregnancy and contraception. Discussions should include the impact of pregnancy on their kidney disease and the impact of kidney disease on maternal and fetal outcomes. However, nephrologists rarely discuss sexual dysfunction, infertility, menstrual irregular...

Dialysis withdrawal is common, accounting for over 20% of patient deaths. It is the third leading cause of death among patients receiving dialysis, after cardiovascular disease and infectious complications. Here we present a case of a patient with significant comorbid disease who ultimately elected to withdraw from dialysis. The medical, social and...

Obesity has been described as an abnormality arising from the evolution of man, who becomes fat during the time of perpetual plenty. From the perspective of "Darwinian Medicine," if famine is avoided, obesity will prevail. Problems regarding obesity arise within many disciplines, including socioeconomic environments, the educational system, science...

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in long-term dialysis patients and is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. An efficient and valid method of diagnosing depression might facilitate recognition and treatment. We sought to validate 2 depression assessment tools, the 21-question Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the 9-question...

Glomerular capillary endotheliosis is a lesion of endothelial cell injury. Morphological characteristics are endothelial swelling with glomerular hypertrophy and a reduction in capillary lumen size. This lesion commonly is found in patients with thrombotic microangiopathy, but similar histopathologic characteristics have been reported in patients w...

We describe a patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who developed depression over the period of dialysis initiation. Depression is an extremely common but underrecognized disorder in the dialysis population, which is one of the rationales for this case report. Here we present the epidemiology, mechanisms for diagnosis, associations with medic...

We describe a patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who developed depression over the period of dialysis initiation. Depression is an extremely common but underrecognized disorder in the dialysis population, which is one of the rationales for this case report. Here we present the epidemiology, mechanisms for diagnosis, associations with medic...

Depression is the most common psychological disorder among patients with end-stage renal disease and has been associated with mortality in patients maintained on hemodialysis therapy. Peritonitis is the leading cause of technique failure among long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. This prospective study is designed to examine the relationshi...

Worsening renal function during hospitalization for heart failure, defined as elevation in creatinine during admission, predicts adverse outcomes. Prior studies define worsening renal function using various creatinine elevations, but the relative value of definitions is unknown. In a prospective cohort of 412 patients hospitalized for heart failure...

Depression is common in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is associated with increased mortality, but little is known about depression in patients just after they start dialysis therapy. We sought to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with ESRD starting dialysis therapy, identify patient characteristics associat...

Currently available serum markers of cardiac injury in patients with renal insufficiency suffer from impaired sensitivity and specificity. Cardiac troponins (cTnI, cTnT) are relatively new diagnostic markers of myocardial injury and have gained widespread application in the non-renal-failure population to diagnose myocardial infarction. Over the pa...