Cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease in 2015

Abstract

Purpose of review: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is strongly linked to premature cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death before end-stage renal disease in these patients. Herein, we review recent literature from 2014 to 2015 that has advanced our understanding of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with advanced and/or progressive CKD.

Recent findings: We focus on new data describing the mechanisms of cardiac death in patients with CKD as well as the novel associations between cardiac events and the competing risks of end-stage renal disease and pre-end-stage renal disease death. We review new controversies in multivessel revascularization of complex coronary artery disease in CKD and, finally, the treatment of systolic heart failure in advanced CKD, including the use of implantable defibrillator therapy.

Summary: Marked advances in the understanding of cardiovascular disease in CKD have occurred in the past year, namely from retrospective and registry data. Although exciting, these recent studies highlight the urgent need for randomized control trials to guide therapeutic decisions.