CORONARY ARTERY CALCIUM DENSITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE EVENTS


Amir Kazory, M.D., University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

While peritoneal dialysis is an established therapy for management of patients with end stage renal disease, it has also been proposed as a means of fluid and sodium extraction in patients with heart failure and volume overload. A number of studies have used this therapeutic modality in various settings and have generally reported positive results. In this talk, there will be a brief review of the pathophysiologic mechanisms related to the use of peritoneal dialysis with regard to its ability for fluid management through removal of water and sodium. Different regimens, techniques, and options (e.g. choice of solution) will be mentioned in this part of the talk. Then, major European and North American studies on the role of peritoneal dialysis in management of patients with both end stage renal disease and heart failure are presented and their results will be discussed, followed by an analytical summary of these studies at the end of this part. Afterwards, the results of the most recent studies on the role of peritoneal dialysis in management of patients with heart failure, but without end stage renal disease, will be presented. Finally, there will be recommendations for future studies and the major unanswered questions that need to be addressed by these trials.