Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome (DDS) is a neurological disorder with varying severity that is postulated to be associated with cerebral oedema. We described a case of DDS resulting in irreversible brain injury and death following acute haemodialysis. A 13-year-old male with no past medical history and weighing 30kg, presented to hospital with severe urosepsis complicated by acute kidney injury (Creatinine 1422mmol/L; Urea 74.2mmol/L, Potassium 6.3mmol/L, Sodium 137mmol/L) and severe metabolic acidosis (pH 6.99, HC03 1.7mmol/L). Chest radiograph was normal. Elective intubation was done for respiratory distress. Acute haemodialysis performed due to refractory metabolic acidosis. Following haemodialysis, he became hypotensive which required inotropes. His Riker's score was low with absence of brainstem reflexes after withholding sedation. CT Brain showed generalised cerebral oedema consistent with global hypoxic changes involving the brainstem. The symptoms of DDS are caused by water movement into the brain causing cerebral oedema. Two theories have been proposed: reverse osmotic shift induced by urea removal and a fall in cerebral intracellular pH. Prevention is the key to the management of DDS. It is important to identify high risk patients and haemodialysis with reduced dialysis efficacy and gradual urea reduction is recommended. Patients who are vulnerable to DDS should be monitored closely. Low efficiency haemodialysis is recommended. Acute peritoneal dialysis might be an alternative option, but further studies are needed.
Dialysis

Background: While international data exists on hospitalisation and its associated mortality among endstage renal disease (ESRD) population on maintenance renal replacement therapy (RRT), local data is not known. The objective of this single centre retrospective observational study is to determine the burden of hospital admission and readmission among the ESRD population and the mortality outcome after hospitalisation. Methods: We obtained our study data from the HSNI Batu Pahat nephrology service inpatient database, patients’ medical records and Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) registry of death. Results: There were 195 index admissions identified from January to June 2016. We found that hospital readmission rate was high at 19.5% within 30 days, 34.4% within 60 days, and 44.6% within 90 days of discharge. Commonest reason of admission was fluid overload (20.7%). Overload was also the commonest reason of readmissions within 30 and 60 days (28.9% and 23.8% respectively), whereas vascular access related issues were the commonest reason of readmission within 90 days of discharge (21.8%). The 90-day mortality rate after index admission was also high at around 18%. The commonest cause of mortality was Infection and Sepsis (42.9%), followed by Acute Coronary Syndrome (22.9%). Conclusions: This study demonstrated the heavy burden of hospitalisation and high mortality rate among ESRD populations. Further larger researches are welcomed to look into the factors associated and the problems faced, in order to improve not only individual morbidity and mortality outcomes, but also on hospitalisation cost and healthcare resources.
Patient Readmission