Table 1.
Catheter-start patient characteristics by clinical setting
| Characteristic n (% column) |
Overall 61 (100) |
Private practice 28 (46) |
Public hospital 27 (44) |
Veterans Administration 6 (10) |
p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level of engagement in nephrology care before HD start | 0.3 | ||||
| None | 7 (11) | 2 (7) | 4 (15) | 1 (17) | |
| Interrupted (last > 30 days) | 23 (38) | 14 (50) | 8 (30) | 1 (17) | |
| Limited (<3mo, last within 30 days) | 10 (16) | 4 (14) | 6 (22) | 0 (0) | |
| Ideal (>3mo, last within 30 days) | 21 (34) | 8 (29) | 9 (33) | 4 (67) | |
| Timing of patient decision before HD start | 0.5 | ||||
| No decision | 25 (42) | 11 (39) | 11 (42) | 3 (50) | |
| < 3 months | 16 (27) | 5 (18) | 9 (35) | 2 (33) | |
| 3–12 months | 10 (17) | 7 (25) | 2 (8) | 1 (17) | |
| > 12 months | 9 (15) | 5 (18) | 4 (15) | 0 (0) | |
| Visits within 6 months of dialysis initiation | 0.7 | ||||
| 0 | 7 (11) | 2 (7) | 4 (15) | 1 (17) | |
| 1–2 | 30 (49) | 16 (57) | 11 (41) | 3 (50) | |
| 3+ | 24 (39) | 10 (36) | 12 (44) | 2 (33) | |
| Age, mean (SD) | 62 (15) | 67 (14) | 52 (13) | 66 (10) | < 0.001 |
| Male gender | 33 (54) | 11 (39) | 16 (59) | 6 (100) | 0.02 |
| Race/ethnicity | < 0.001 | ||||
| White | 8 (13) | 3 (11) | 2 (7) | 3 (50) | |
| Black | 30 (49) | 24 (86) | 3 (11) | 3 (50) | |
| Hispanic | 11 (18) | 0 (0) | 11 (41) | 0 (0) | |
| Asian | 12 (20) | 1 (4) | 11 (41) | 0 (0) | |
| eGFR at HD initiation, median (IQR)a | 5.0 (3.0, 9.0) | n/a | 4.5 (3, 7.5) | 8.0 (5.0, 9.0) | 0.1 |
| Charlson comorbidity index score, median (IQR) | 5.0 (3.0, 6.0) | 6.0 (5.0, 8.0) | 4.0 (2.0, 5.0) | 4.5 (3.0, 6.0) | < 0.001 |
| Uninsured | 7 (11) | 0 (0) | 7 (26) | 0 (0) | 0.007 |
| Inpatient start | 30 (49) | 5 (18) | 19 (71) | 6 (100) | < 0.001 |
AVF/AVG arteriovenous fistula/graft, HD hemodialysis, RRT renal replacement therapy, eGFR estimated glomerular filtration rate
aData available: n = 26 overall, n = 0 private practice site, n = 20 public hospital site, n = 6 Veterans Administration