There is a rise in burden of end‑stage renal disease globally and in India. The symptom burden, prognosis, and mortality in chronic kidney disease closely mimics that of cancer. However, the palliative and end of life care needs of these patients are seldom addressed. A consensus opinion statement was developed outlining the provision of end of life care in end‑stage kidney disease. Recognition of medical futility, consensus on medical futility, and cessation of potentially inappropriate therapies and medications are the initial steps in providing end of life care. Conducting a family meeting, communicating prognosis, discussing various treatment modalities, negotiating goals of care, shared decision‑making, and discussion and documentation of life sustaining treatment are essential aspects of end of life care provision. The provision of end of life care entails assessment and the management of end‑stage kidney disease symptoms and the care extends beyond the death of the patient to their families in the bereavement period.

Introduction: Intradialytic hypertension (IDH) is associated with significant vascular and cardiac adverse outcomes. Objectives: This study was performed to know the prevalence and factors predicting IDH. Patients and Methods: A single-center cross-sectional observational study at a tertiary care hospital. After ethics committee approval and informed consent, all patients over 18 years on twice weekly hemodialysis were included, those on peritoneal dialysis and acute kidney injury excluded. Primary outcome was prevalence of IDH based on three definitions and secondary outcome was predictive factors. IDH was defined as ≥10 mm Hg surge in systolic blood pressure (SBP) between pre-and post-dialysis in 4 of 6 successive sessions or >15 mm Hg rise in mean arterial pressure (MAP) between start and end of dialysis or symptomatic rise in blood pressure requiring intervention. SBP and MAP were measured on standardized monitors before, hourly and 30 minutes post dialysis. Results: Of 136 patients, prevalence of intra-dialytic hypertension was 78/136 (57%), 33/136 (24%), 15/136 (11%) based on systolic rise, rise in MAP and symptomatic rise in BP respectively. Among those with systolic rise, diabetes mellitus (P = 0.03), undernourishment (P = 0.03), inter-dialytic weight gain >3 kg (P < 0.001) and dialysis vintage > 3 years (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with IDH. Conclusion: IDH prevalence varied from 11 to 57% with different definitions. Diabetes mellitus, under nutrition, inter-dialytic weight gain >3 kg and dialysis vintage >3 years predicted IDH.

Objectives: End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is a life-limiting illness that leads to significant health-related suffering for the patients and their caregivers. Moreover, disease-directed options such as dialysis and renal transplant might not be universally accessible. Inadequate assessment and management of symptoms often lead to diminished quality of life. For evaluating symptoms and their associated distress, various tools have been identified. However, these are not available for the native Kannada-speaking population for assessing ESKD symptom burden. In this study, we determined the reliability and validity of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System Revised Renal (ESAS-r: Renal) in Kannada-speaking ESKD patients. Materials and Methods: ESAS-r: Renal English version was translated into Kannada using the forward and backward method. The translated version was endorsed by Nephrology, Palliative care, Dialysis technology and Nursing experts. As a pilot study, 12 ESKD patients evaluated the content of the questionnaires for appropriateness and relevance. The ESAS-r: Renal Kannada version was validated by administering this tool to 45 patients twice a fortnight. Result: The translated ESAS-r: Renal Kannada version questionnaire had an acceptable face and content validity. Experts’ opinion was assessed by content validity ratio (CVR), and the value of CVR of ESAS-r: Renal Kannada version was-‘1’-. Internal consistency of the tool was assessed among Kannada-speaking ESKD patients; its Cronbach’s α was 0.785, and test-retest validity was 0.896. Conclusion: The validated Kannada version of ESAS-r: Renal was reliable and valid for assessing symptom burden in ESKD patients.

Objectives: To develop and validate an English and Kannada version of the questionnaire to assess awareness and knowledge of advance care planning (ACP) among end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. Methods: The questionnaire was developed from the published literature on ACP use in ESKD setting after a literature search. An expert panel consisting of nephrologists, palliative medicine physicians, ESKD patients, and their family caregivers participated in the content validity of the questionnaire using the Delphi process. The study was conducted between August 2021 and July 2022 at a tertiary care hospital in India. A validated questionnaire was administered to eligible 30 ESKD patients, 30 caregivers, and 10 health care professionals. A retest was carried out 1 week after the first administration. Results: The content validity ratio of patient, caregiver, and health care professions questions ranged from 0.6 to 1 and Cronbach's α value was 0.737 to 0.925. The intraclass correlation coefficient values for the test-retest of all three sections of this questionnaire varied from 0.879 to 0.972. Significance of results: The developed questionnaire is a reliable and valid method for assessing the preference and knowledge of ACP in ESKD patients, family caregivers, and kidney care providers both in English and Kannada.