Posted on

Algorithm may help avoid 40% of kidney transplant rejection misdiagnoses: study

Loading

By Nick Paul Taylor

Dive Brief:

  • An algorithm could help pathologists avoid 40% of misdiagnoses of organ transplant rejection and improve patient risk stratification, according to a paper published in Nature Medicine.
  • The decision-support system automatically diagnoses the status of kidney transplants based on the criteria physicians use to determine if a patient is rejecting an organ. Applied to two clinical trials, the algorithm reclassified rejection diagnoses made by pathologists.
    Read the full article in MedTech Dive.
Loading
Posted on

GLP-1 RAs Safe Months After Kidney Transplant

Loading

— Helped diabetics cut down on daily insulin dose, body weight

By Kristen Monaco

SEATTLE — Even for new kidney transplant recipients with diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs) were safe and effective, a researcher reported here.

In a retrospective study, kidney transplant patients who were on insulin with or without other oral antidiabetic medications when they started a GLP-1 RA were able to significantly cut back on their total daily insulin dose requirements, said Mario Campana, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Read more in Medpage Today.

Loading
Posted on

Robotic-Assisted vs Open Kidney Transplantation: The Pros and Cons

Loading

By Natasha Persaud

A panel of 3 transplant surgeons who are urologists debated the pros and cons of an open vs robotic-assisted approach to kidney transplantation at the American Urological Association’s 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.1

Moderator Nicholas Cowan, MD, of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, stated that the first robotic-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT) was performed in 2010 in the United States, whereas open kidney transplantation (OKT) has been performed since the 1950s. Read more in Renal & Urology News.

Loading
Posted on

8 Simple Practices to Manage Kidney Disease Stress and Mental Health

Loading

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the constant demands of kidney disease, struggle to stay present, or manage your stress levels? If so, you’re not alone. In 2021, an estimated 57.8 million Americans lived with mental illness1, but help is available. If these struggles persist, reach out to a mental health professional and try these simple practices that may transform your life. 

So, take a deep breath, let go of your worries, and join us on this journey to a happier, healthier you. Read the full article from the National Kidney Foundation.

Loading
Posted on

Column: Kidney Donation Registration Can Be Life-Changing

Loading

By Matthew Harmody Special to The Pilot

April is National Donate Life Month. Over 100,000 Americans are currently on the transplant waiting list, with about 90,000 awaiting a kidney.

The topic of kidney donation is near and dear to me for several reasons. First, my father developed chronic kidney disease (CKD) and eventually kidney failure at age 50, requiring dialysis.
Read the full story in The Pilot here.

Loading
Posted on

How This New Yorker Found His Lifesaving Kidney Through a Times Square Billboard

Loading

It was a desperate plea for help, a call for a lifesaving kidney donor. For five years, cancer survivor Marc Weiner endured grueling dialysis treatments three times a week, waiting for a donor to step forward. Then in 2018, Marc and his family took a bold step, covering a Times Square billboard with a plea for a kidney donor. Little did they know, their plea would lead to a life-changing transplant that would finally end Marc’s long wait.
Read the full story in Next News Network.

Loading
Posted on

WRNMMC’s kidney transplant program ranks as 5-star

Loading

By Bernard S. Little

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is the only Department of Defense military medical treatment facility (MTF) that performs kidney transplants, and the Organ Transplant Service at WRNMMC has been rated as one of the top transplant programs in the nation. According to data published by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), which supports the transplant community with analyses to better patient experiences and outcomes, WRNMMC’s Organ Transplant Service is ranked in the top tier of all U.S. transplant programs and has a 97 percent one-year patient and graft survival rate. Read more in the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).

Loading
Posted on

Four Things You May Not Know About Kidney Transplants

Loading

In 1954, the human kidney became the first organ to be transplanted successfully, an achievement that later earned surgeon Joseph Murray, MD, a Nobel Prize. Today, kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organ in the United States. Doctors at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute performed more than 300 kidney transplants last year alone. And the number of those patients who survived one year with their new kidney exceeded the national average. Despite the prevalence and success of the procedure, many people are in the dark about how it works. Here are four little-known facts about kidney transplants. Read more from NYU Langone Health News.

Loading
Posted on

Review Probes Intricacies of Protecting Kidney Transplant Recipients From COVID-19

Loading

By Jared Kaltwasser

Vaccines were safe in transplant recipients, but their efficacy was affected by immunosuppressive therapies.

People who undergo kidney transplantation appear to have better outcomes from COVID-19 compared with those waiting for transplants, according to a new review.

However, the report also found that the immunosuppressive regimens associated with the procedure can complicate efforts to protect patients from the virus. The report was published in Cureus. Read more from the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC).

Loading