The families of five children waiting for heart transplants at one hospital are urging people to consider becoming organ donors.
Ten-month-old Leyla Bell, 18-month-old Beatrix Adamson-Archbold, Luke Myles, one, Ethan Mains, three, and Nour Hussein, eight, are being cared for at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital. Read the full story from BBC News.
Carly Kelly was born with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, a disease that not only affects the kidneys, but also can lead to liver problems. She spent the first month of her life in the Neonatal ICU at Mayo Clinic, where physicians told Carly’s family she would eventually need a kidney transplant. Listen to their story in this Mayo Clinic podcast.
While most people flinch when asked to fundraise, Jackie Hutz, 60, of Butler, embraces it. “That’s one of the gifts I have. It’s easy for me, and I know it’s not easy for other people.”
After spending weeks or months planning and hosting a Night at the Races, craft show or a popular purse bash, she has no trouble giving away the proceeds to those on the receiving or giving end of organ transplantation. “Until every person on the transplant list can receive an organ in a timely manner,” she said, “I will continue to do the wildest and craziest events to raise awareness and funds.” Read the full story in the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.
Prevalence of clinically significant anxiety and depression among adults in the United States increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with prior years, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
“Concerns about adverse mental health effects of COVID-19 have been raised since the beginning of the pandemic,” Ronald C. Kessler, PhD, of the department of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues wrote. “Many empirical papers subsequently investigated the association of the pandemic with mental health, and most concluded that the pandemic cause dramatic increases in anxiety and depression.”
Read more in Healio.
We recently put out a call to the transplant community for recommendations of songs that have been impactful during your transplant journey. As always, you didn’t disappoint! We heard from folks across the country who shared songs and some brief descriptions of how they helped them through some time times. Check out their recommendations and listen to the complete playlist on CareDx.com
People infected with COVID-19 do not have increased long-term risks for developing cardiovascular disease or diabetes, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine.
In findings from a population-based cohort study conducted in the U.K., the increased risk for CVD in people who contract COVID-19 begins to decline 5 weeks after infection, whereas the risk for diabetes remains elevated up to 23 weeks after infection before dropping back to preinfection levels. Read more in Healio.
In the past month, researchers transplanted pig hearts into two people who had suffered catastrophic heart failure and were left brain dead but remained on life support.
New research in which doctors transplanted genetically modified pig hearts into people who were clinically dead could pave the way for human trials and a future with more organ transplants that can prolong lives.
In the past month, researchers at NYU Langone Health transplanted pig hearts into two people who had recently suffered catastrophic heart failure and were left brain dead but remained on life support. Read more from NBC News here.
Having an organ transplant shouldn’t keep anyone from traveling but it does require some extra planning and precautions to ensure your health and safety. Whether on the waitlist or post-transplant, travel is often not only a necessity but also a great source of joy for many.
Whether by plane, train, or automobile, check out these simple tips for smooth travel ahead. Read the full story on CareDx.com.
CMS has released a proposed rule for the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule with some mix results for nephrologists, according to the Renal Physician Association.
“ … As usual, the news is mixed to positive for nephrology,” Robert Blaser, director of public policy for the RPA, wrote in an analysis for the association. “While the fee schedule conversion factor is projected for an approximate (and expected) 4.4% reduction, valuation for virtually all dialysis services (inpatient and outpatient, adult and pediatric, home and in-center, monthly and daily) either held steady or ticked up slightly,” he wrote.
Read more in Healio.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, around 8,096 liver transplants took place in 2020 alone, with 11,772 candidates awaiting transplantation at the end of 2020. Liver transplants traditionally come from deceased donors. Centers prioritize transplants and allocate these livers to individuals based on their level of sickness.
On the other hand, a living donor liver transplant is partial liver transplantation. It can be an alternative to waiting for a deceased donor until the liver disease becomes too severe to require a full organ transplant. Read more in Medical News Today.