BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations among COVID-19 patients are common; however, their relation with patient outcomes remains unclear. The study, therefore, aims to determine the association of GI manifestation with in-hospital mortality among end-stage renal disease patients (ESRD).

This is a retrospective cohort design. All 501 ESRD patients with COVID-19 and admitted to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute from June 2020 to 2021 were included. GI manifestation was defined as the presence of any of the following signs and symptoms on admission: dysgeusia, anorexia, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and jaundice. The outcome of interest was in-hospital mortality, defined as death due to any cause during hospital stay. Stata17 was used for data analysis.

The overall prevalence of GI manifestation was 58.08% (95% CI: 53.63-62.45). The most common symptoms were abdominal pain (27.15%), loss of appetite (24.35%), and nausea (19.76%). Patients with GI manifestation had a higher proportion of stroke, lower median systolic blood pressure, and a lower proportion of abnormal oxygen saturation and diastolic blood pressure than those without GI manifestation. Across all clinical outcomes, only hospital stay significantly differ between those with and without GI manifestation. In-hospital mortality was 31.14% (95% CI: 27.10-35.39%) and showed no significant association with GI manifestation (OR= 0.94, p=0.749).

GI manifestation was common among ESRD patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19. The inhospital mortality rate is also high; however, GI manifestation was not associated with this outcome. Meanwhile, GI manifestation leads to longer hospital stay.

BACKGROUND

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is prevalent in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the association of Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index with CKD among T2DM patients with concomitant NAFLD.

A single center, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 216 T2DM patients with concomitant NAFLD. Clinical data were obtained via retrospective review of medical charts. The outcome of interest was CKD which was based on self-report obtained from medical charts or estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)RESULTS

Higher FIB-4 index was found to be significantly associated with CKD. Patients with FIB-4 index of 1.45-3.25 (moderate risk) and >3.25 (high risk) have about 3 times higher odds of CKD. However, after controlling for the significant confounders, only those who belong to high-risk group was found to be associated with CKD.

This study has demonstrated that FIB4 index > 3.25, an index of liver fibrosis, is significantly associated with development of CKD in T2DM patients with concomitant NAFLD.

INTRODUCTION

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines. Most Filipino CKD patients prefer hemodialysis due to barriers such as cost and availability of Kidney Transplant. End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients face high symptom burden and unmet palliative care needs. Even with advancement in dialysis technology, the annual mortality rate of dialysis patients remains between 20% and 25%. While Advance Care Planning (ACP) can help align care with patient preferences by facilitating discussions about values and future decisions, its utilization in dialysis population remains low due to barriers in implementation. There is limited research specifically addressing the preferences and influencing factors of Advance Care Planning among CKD patients on hemodialysis in the Philippines.

This study aimed to determine the ACP preferences of CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis and to identify the clinicodemographic factors associated with these preferences.

An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted involving 96 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing hemodialysis at Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) from October to November 2024. Data were collected using validated questionnaires administered either through face-to-face interviews or self-administration, depending on patients’ preferences and capabilities. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were employed for data analysis.

The study revealed limited awareness of ACP among participants (86.5%), underscoring the need for education. Family-centered decision-making was prominent, with most participants preferring family members as surrogate decision-makers and confidants. Quality of life was prioritized over life extension, and preferences for “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) orders were notable. Educational attainment and ethnicity significantly influenced preferences, with higher education linked to greater awareness; and Ethnicity shaping preferences for decision-makers, confidants, timing of discussions, and resuscitation choices. Additionally, duration of dialysis was linked to care setting preferences, while social support systems influenced the preferred place for discussions.

The findings highlight critical associations between clinicodemographic factors and ACP preferences among hemodialysis patients. Addressing these associations through targeted education and culturally sensitive approach can promote high-quality end-of-life care, aligned with diverse patient needs, values, and preferences.

BACKGROUND

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients often face critical treatment decisions that significantly affect their quality of life, making Shared Decision-Making (SDM), a collaborative approach between patients and healthcare providers, an essential component of patient-centered care.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of SDM on decisional readiness and patient satisfaction among CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) at Southern Isabela Medical Center (SIMC).

An analytical cross-sectional design was utilized. The Tagalog Version of SDM Q-9 questionnaire, Decision survey and CSAT survey tool were given to HD patients of SIMC from September – October 2024. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation and chi square test were used to report and analyze data.

One hundred eight (108) CKD patients on HD were included in the study. Shared decision-making score was high and overall satisfaction on health services was outstanding. Higher decisional readiness was associated with greater odds of reporting outstanding satisfaction (OR = 3.47, 95% CI: 2.563–4.688, p = 0.009). There was no significant association between patient satisfaction and SDM (r= 0.111, p =0.253.). Shared decision-making had a significant but weak positive correlation with decisional readiness (r =0.2043, p 0.035).

This study showed that fostering SDM positively enhances patients’ preparedness to make healthcare decisions. Decisional readiness is strongly associated with patient satisfaction, as confident patients are more likely to be satisfied with their care. The findings underscore the need for improved patient education to boost decisional readiness and support ongoing SDM practices. Integrating SDM into clinical workflows is essential to advancing patient-centered care and improving health outcomes for CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant and growing global health concern. Worldwide, 537 million adults have diabetes and 206 million of them are from the Western Pacific Region1. Local prevalence continues to remain high at 7.5%, with 4,303,899 adult Filipinos suffering from diabetes in 2021. DM significantly contributes to the growing burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) worldwide with about 50% of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) being due to diabetic nephropathy alone. Likewise, 60% of Filipinos on maintenance dialysis have ESRD due to DM and hypertension. The primary care setting is the initial point of contact between healthcare providers and patients with type 2 diabetes, hence, the development of clinical practice guidelines that will provide guidance in caring for patients with stable complications of diabetes. The guideline is the first of 3 that are being developed by the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians for the diagnosis and management of adult patients with type 2 diabetes and stable microvascular complications – nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy.

This guideline aims to provide evidence-based recommendations on the diagnosis and management of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and early stage CKD and is divided into 5 main sections – Clinical Assessment, Diagnostic Tests, Pharmacologic Treatment, Non-pharmacologic Treatment and Patient Outcomes.

The method of guideline development followed the ADAPTE process. The Technical Working Group identified 19 key questions after consultation with colleagues and patients. Recommendations were adopted from high-quality clinical practice guidelines whenever applicable for most of the key clinical questions. On the other hand, the De Novo method of evidence review was used to answer key clinical questions for which recommendations from reviewed guidelines were not available. A modified GRADEPro was used in assessing the quality of evidence – high, moderate, low or very low. Following external review by a nephrologist, the draft recommendations were sent to the members of the consensus panel. Voting on whether to include or not by the consensus panel was facilitated to determine the strength of each recommendation – strong, moderate or weak.

After reviewing 3 high-quality clinical practice guidelines and the current evidence, the technical working group was able to develop 40 recommendations for the 19 key clinical questions.

Peripheral nerve block (PNB) has been successfully used as the sole anesthetic for Peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter insertion, and has been shown to provide satisfactory anesthesia and analgesia perioperatively, especially among critically – ill patients.

This report describes the anesthetic management of an 18 – year old underweight patient with End-stage renal disease (ESRD) and decompensated heart failure who was scheduled for PD catheter insertion. He was given a left lateral Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and a right Rectus sheath (RS) block as the main anesthetic. Fifteen mL of Isobaric Bupivacaine 0.375% with Epinephrine 1:400,000 dilution was injected for the TAP block, and 10mL for the RS block, for a total volume of 25mL (93.7mg). Sedation was given via a Remifentanil infusion at 0.1mcg/kg/min. Intraoperatively, the patient was awake, conversant, and comfortable, no pressors were used, and no conversion to general anesthesia was done. Post-operatively, he had good pain control, with a pain score of 1/10, and successfully underwent dialysis via the PD catheter on the 2ndhospital day.

This pediatric patient who is critically ill is not a good candidate for general or neuraxial anesthesia due to the risk of hemodynamic instability and perioperative decompensation. PNB was done to provide anesthesia, and ensure good pain control post-operatively, and a right TAP and left RS were done instead of a bilateral TAP to lower the LA volume and decrease the risk of LA toxicity.

Unilateral TAP with contralateral RS is a safe anesthetic technique among critically-ill pediatric patients who will undergo PD catheter insertion without the risk of hemodynamic instability with general or neuraxial anesthesia.

Identical or Monozygotic twin kidney transplant usually possess an excellent immunological match and provide the opportunity to minimize or even avoid immunosuppression toxicity. However, there are concerns regarding disease recurrence among end stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients with an unknown etiology. Together with the risk of inherent, familial disease affecting donors and recipients alike, more invasive tests such as a pretransplant biopsy are being considered to ascertain renal prognosis. A 30-year-old female, known case of CKD Stage 5D from an unknown etiology, with secondary hyperparathyroidism and heart failure, presented at our OPD for kidney transplantation. Her donor is her identical twin who is asymptomatic and denies comorbidities. The recipient discloses a previous history of blood transfusion. Immunological workup revealed the following: matched blood type, zero HLA mismatch, negative T-cell tissue crossmatch but with a positive Class I HLA antigen screen. Antibody specificity revealed the presence of donor specific antibodies (DSA). After workup completion, the patient underwent a right kidney transplant with a preimplantation wedge biopsy on the donor kidney. Immediate graft function was noted post operatively. The wedge biopsy revealed a thinned glomerular basement membrane, consistent with Thin Basement Membrane Nephropathy (TBMN). The patient was started on immunosuppression and prophylaxis during the duration of the post operative period without any complications. Five months post-transplant, both the recipient and donor maintain an adequate renal function without any signs of allograft rejection. In this case report, we have demonstrated that TBMN may serve as a viable donor for a presumed monozygous twin kidney transplantation. When a live donor with TBMN is being considered, a thorough work-up and identification of high-risk features are essential to exclude other progressive renal diseases during the pretransplant evaluation.
Kidney Transplantation ; Glomerulonephritis

Introduction: Since the breakout of COVID-19 in December 2019, the virus has already affected and taken millions of lives over the past year. There is still much to learn about this disease. It has been postulated that the human kidney is a potential pathway for COVID-19 due to the presence of the ACE2 receptors found in the surfaces of kidney cells. Some studies that demonstrated acute tubular necrosis and lymphocyte infiltration among post mortem COVID-19 patients, concluding that the virus could directly damage the kidney, increasing the risk of the development of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) among patients with COVID-19. This study investigated the incidence and severity of AKI among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and the association of the degree of AKI with regards to the severity and outcomes of COVID-19 patients. Methods: This was a single-center cross-sectional study retrospective chart review of COVID-19 patients who developed AKI. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the general and clinical characteristics of the patients. Frequency and proportion were used for categorical variables. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality distribution of continuous variables. Continuous quantitative data that met the normality assumption was described using mean and standard deviation, while those that did not were described using median and range. Continuous variables which are normally distributed were compared using the One-way ANOVA, while those variables that are not normally distributed were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. For categorical variables, the Chi-square test was used to compare the outcomes. If the expected percentages in the cells are less than 5%, Fisher's Exact Test was used instead. Results: A total of 1441 COVID-19 in-patients from March 1, 2020 to March 1, 2021 were reviewed, 59 of whom were excluded. Among the adults with COVID-19 who developed AKI, 60% were in stage I, 10% in stage II, and 30% in stage III. The incidence of AKI among COVID-19 in-patients at Makati Medical Center was 13.10% (95% CI 11.36% - 14.99%). Among the 181 patients, 79 (43.65%, 95% CI 36.30 - 51.20) had died. The mortality rate is 22.02% for Stage I, 50% for Stage II, and 85.19% for Stage III. The median length of hospital stay was 12 days, ranging from 1 day up to 181 days. Full renal recovery on discharge was observed only in one-third of the patients. It was observed in 44.95% of those in Stage I, 27.78% of those in Stage II, and 5.56% of those in Stage III. Conclusion The study demonstrated that the incidence of AKI in hospitalized COVID-19 patients was 13.1% (95% CI 11.36% - 14.99%), which was lower than previously reported. This could be attributed to the longer study period wherein, to date, we have a better understanding of the disease and had already established a standard of care for treatment for the disease attributing to the decreased incidence of AKI among COVID-19 patients than what was initially reported. The development of AKI has a direct correlation with the degree of infection. Among patients who developed AKI, 20% required renal replacement therapy. Overall development of AKI increases the risk of mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The stage of AKI has a direct correlation with regards to mortality and has an indirect relationship with regards to renal recovery.
Acute Kidney Injury ; COVID-19 ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Mortality

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) is a rare neoplasm of the kidney. Recognition of this rare entity is important with regards to a patient’s prognosis and therapeutic management.
Kidney Neoplasms ; Immunohistochemistry ; Pathology, Surgical

Background and Objective: Several studies have examined the predictors of mortality among COVID-19-infected patients; however, to date, few published studies focused on end-stage renal disease patients. The present study,therefore, aims to determine the predictors of in-hospital mortality among end-stage renal disease patients with COVID-19 admitted to a Philippine tertiary hospital. Methods: The researcher utilized a retrospective cohort design. A total of 449 adult end-stage renal disease patients on renal replacement therapy diagnosed with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 and were admitted at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute from June 2020 to 2021 were included. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with in-hospital mortality. Results: In-hospital mortality among end-stage renal disease patients with COVID-19 was 31.18% (95% CI: 26.92- 35.69%). Older age (OR=1.03), male sex (OR=0.56), diabetes mellitus (OR=1.80), coronary artery disease (OR=1.71), encephalopathy (OR=7.58), and intubation (OR=30.78) were associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusion Patients with ESRD and COVID-19 showed a high in-hospital mortality rate. Older age, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, encephalopathy, and intubation increased the odds of mortality. Meanwhile, males had lower odds of mortality than females.
COVID-19 ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Hospital Mortality ; Renal Replacement Therapy