Brenda R Hemmelgarn

..The purpose of this study is to assess the validity of the Charlson index in incident dialysis patients and modify the index for use specifically in this patient population...

..Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with early mortality after percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures, but its prognostic relevance to long-term clinical outcomes remains controversial...

..We determined whether access to care differed between status Aboriginal people (Aboriginal people registered under the federal Indian Act) and non-Aboriginal people with chronic kidney disease...

..The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of an algorithm derived from administrative data for identifying chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared to the reference standard of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)...

..We assessed whether chronic kidney disease should be regarded as a coronary heart disease risk equivalent...

..We aimed to investigate how eGFR and proteinuria jointly modified the risks of acute kidney injury and subsequent adverse clinical outcomes...

..The objective of this study is to determine the associations between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and hospitalization or death with pneumonia...

..Although obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more common in patients with kidney disease, whether nocturnal hypoxia affects kidney function is unknown...

..Laboratory reporting of estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) has been widely implemented, with limited evaluation...

..It is unclear what degree of change in the eGFR over a 1-year period indicates clinically significant progression, and whether this change adds additional information beyond that obtained by a single eGFR measure alone...

..We do not know, however, whether the finding at higher eGFR could be due to inadequacies of the eGFR formula at low serum creatinine levels...

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..These results provide evidence that administrative data can be used as a relatively valid source of data to define cases of hypertension for surveillance and research purposes...

..We evaluated differences in dialysis modality, time spent on dialysis, rates of kidney transplantation, and patient and allograft survival between Aboriginal children and non-Aboriginal children...

..Studies of kidney failure in older adults have focused on receipt of dialysis, which may underestimate the burden of disease if older people are less likely to receive treatment...

..These population-based estimates may assist individuals who make decisions regarding public health policy...

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..We sought to determine agreement between various blood pressure measurement methods, as well as identify which method was the strongest correlate of LV hypertrophy among patients on hemodialysis...

..We sought to determine the prevalence of sleep apnea and associated nocturnal hypoxia in patients with CKD and ESRD. We hypothesized that the prevalence of sleep apnea would increase progressively as kidney function declines...

..Although short-term risks are important, long-term risk can be particularly beneficial for future prediction of the burden of kidney disease, and to assist in health planning and public education...

..Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an important and common comorbidity in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, few studies have addressed how OSA presents in this patient population and whether it is clinically apparent...

..Long-term cohort studies report that death is a likelier outcome than progression to kidney failure. However, it is unclear how short-term changes in estimated GFR (eGFR) over a 1-year period relate to subsequent mortality risk...

..We investigated the association between proteinuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and risk of mortality and kidney failure in white, Chinese, and South Asian populations...

..8 ml/min following moderate to severe acute kidney injury. Thus, acute kidney injury following coronary angiography is associated with a sustained loss and a larger rate of future decline in kidney function...

..The objective of this study was to determine if excessive daytime sleepiness was independently associated with increased health care utilization among patients referred for assessment of OSA...

..Although proteinuria is also associated with adverse outcomes, it is not used to refine risk estimates of adverse events in this current system...

..This meta-analysis was performed to determine whether angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) reduce fatal and nonfatal CV events and left ventricular (LV) mass in patients receiving HD...

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..Due to the high prevalence of both CKD and NSAID use in older adults, we sought to determine the association between NSAID use and the progression of CKD in an elderly community-based cohort...

..The Alberta Kidney Disease Network is a collaborative nephrology research organization based on a central repository of laboratory and administrative data from the Canadian province of Alberta...

..Life expectancy is commonly used as an indicator of health and reflects disease burden in the population. The life expectancy for patients with lower levels of kidney function has not been reported...

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..The benefits of MDC and an assessment of their economic impact should be tested in a randomized, controlled trial...

..Whether patients with chronic kidney disease who are not receiving dialysis are also at increased risk of bloodstream infection is less clear...

..The objective of this study is to determine the validity of outpatient physician billing derived algorithms for defining chronic dialysis compared to a reference standard ESRD registry...

..The association between heparin concentration and rt-PA use requires further study...

..Although Aboriginal adults have a higher risk of end-stage renal disease than non-Aboriginal adults, the incidence and causes of end-stage renal disease among Aboriginal children and young adults are not well described...

..This study aimed to determine whether opening a new clinic in a remote region would be a cost-effective means of improving care for remote-dwellers with CKD...

..We also discussed the recent analyses that examined the association between angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and cancer...

..Little is known regarding potential differences in antihypertensive prescribing practices at a Canadian provincial level. Our objective was to determine provincial differences in the use of antihypertensive drug therapy in Canada...

..Transfer from pediatric to adult care may require a period of adaptation to the new healthcare environment. We sought to determine whether this adaptation period was associated with an increased risk of graft failure...

..We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize the associations between CI-AKI and subsequent clinical outcomes...

..We evaluated the effectiveness of anticoagulation using an electronic warfarin nomogram administered by nurses in outpatient hemodialysis patients, compared to physician directed therapy...

..We sought to determine the association between enrolment in primary care networks and the care and outcomes of patients with diabetes...

..73 m(2). These findings provide considerable refinement in our understanding of eGFR as a powerful prognostic marker in patients with CVD undergoing cardiac catheterization...

..Ascorbic acid is believed to improve anemia in patients with end-stage renal disease, but its overall effectiveness is unclear...

..Racial differences in health outcomes in general are well documented; however, few studies examined the impact of East Asian and Indo Asian race on choice of dialytic modality and survival among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)...

..More frequent dialysis may improve nutrition and remove dietary restrictions in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We present results from a trial comparing nutritional parameters between nocturnal hemodialysis (NHD) and conventional HD patients...

..Thus, both declining and increasing eGFR were independently associated with mortality and underscore the importance of identifying change in eGFR over time to improve mortality risk prediction...

..The Berlin Questionnaire (BQ), Adjusted Neck Circumference (ANC), and STOP-BANG questionnaire are 3 such instruments that have been validated in patients with normal kidney function...

..We compared sexual activity and responses to sexual related questions in the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form questionnaire among patients randomized to frequent nocturnal or thrice weekly conventional hemodialysis...

..Synthetic arteriovenous grafts, an important option for hemodialysis vascular access, are prone to recurrent stenosis and thrombosis. Supplementation with fish oils has theoretical appeal for preventing these outcomes...

..Many transplant candidates have concerns about living donation...

..To provide updated, evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and assessment of adults with hypertension...

..Acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized patients is associated with poor outcomes; however, it is unclear how relationships between AKI and clinical outcomes vary with baseline kidney function...

..Explanations for these differences and their impact on morbidity and mortality warrant further investigation...

..Novel clinical methods to better identify patients at risk of progression to later stages of chronic kidney disease, including kidney failure, are needed to target management to high-risk subgroups...

..Our study shows an independent association in a dose-dependent manner of estrogen use and loss of kidney function in this elderly population...

..Catheter-related infections cause morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis...

..Although diabetes mellitus is associated with increased risks of death and cardiovascular events in Framingham subjects, much of this excess risk is attributable to coexistent hypertension...

..Consideration should be given to redefine "normal" hemoglobin values in the elderly. Clinical trials are also necessary to determine whether anemia correction improves quality or quantity of life in this population...

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..The objectives of our study were to determine the pooled prevalence of adenomas and colorectal cancer, as well as nonadvanced and advanced adenomas, among average risk North Americans...

..Research in this area will enable targeted interventions to be developed in partnership with the Aboriginal communities, with a goal to increase the health outcomes and quality of life for Aboriginal people with ESRD...

..In conclusion, among patients hospitalized with AKI, weekend admission is associated with a higher risk for death compared with admission on a weekday...

..Morbidity and mortality rates in hemodialysis patients remain excessive. Alterations in the delivery of dialysis may lead to improved patient outcomes...

..Propensity score methods are often used in observational studies in nephrology, thus understanding their appropriate implementation, strengths and limitations is important...

..Specifically, we examine whether findings from previous studies are valid and applicable to patients for whom an AVF is not possible, and outline the need for future randomized clinical trials addressing this question...

..This includes well-conducted randomized trials and long-term follow-up of patients with CKD to assess changes in adverse health outcomes...

..We evaluated the effect of ICU bed availability on processes and outcomes of care for hospitalized patients with sudden clinical deterioration...

..We studied biofilm characteristics in patients with and without catheter-related bloodstream infection, accounting for catheter locking solution (citrate 4% or heparin 1:1,000)...

..3 mg/dl)...

..Improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension have been documented in Canada following implementation of a national program to improve hypertension management...

..Among eligible transplant candidates with end-stage renal disease, only a minority receive a living donor kidney transplant (LDKT), suggesting that there are barriers to receipt of this optimal therapy...

..The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the combination of administrative data and self-reported data provided a more complete estimate of co-morbidity among patients referred for sleep diagnostic testing...

..Long-term follow-up data are few in children with ESRD. We sought to describe long-term survival, assess risk factors for death, and compare survival between two time periods in pediatric ESRD patients...

..In 1999, the Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP) was launched to develop and implement evidence-based hypertension guidelines...

..The Prevention of Catheter Lumen Occlusion with rt-PA versus Heparin (PreCLOT) study will determine if use of weekly rt-PA, compared to regular heparin, as a catheter locking solution, will decrease the risk of catheter malfunction...

..The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in hospital readmission rate and mortality between Asian and other Canadian HF patients...

..A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to determine the risk for failure to induce remission of lupus nephritis in patients who were treated with mycophenolate mofetil compared with cyclophosphamide...

..Thus, the purpose of this study was to survey corresponding authors in published medical journals to determine their opinion on publication impact in relation to performance review and promotion...

..Only the recommendations that achieved high levels of consensus are reported. These guidelines will be updated annually...

..The difference between an independent CVD risk factor and a causal CVD risk factor is discussed, with particular emphasis on the temporal association between exposure (GFR) and outcome (CVD and CVD death)...

..All recommendations reported in the present paper received at least 95% consensus. These guidelines will continue to be updated annually...

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..There is a need to reexamine the definition of catheter dysfunction and expand the definition beyond blood flow rates...