by Prabhjot Sohal
According to nephrologist Dr. Amit Garg, for those with advanced chronic kidney disease, the treatment options are stark: continuous dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.
“A kidney transplant not only gives a patient up to a decade of longer life and quality of life, but data also shows that every 100 kidney transplant procedures save the health care system a staggering $20 million over five years by sidelining dialysis costs. Read the full article in Medical Xpress.
Who am I now if I’m no longer a nurse, active mom, or needy CF patient?
By Jennifer Bleecher
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines identity as “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual.” Having a genetic, progressive, and life-shortening disease such as cystic fibrosis (CF) can consume a large part of a person’s physical, mental, and emotional state. It can feel that the disease becomes your identity.
CF was a fatal disease in 1971, when I was born. The average life expectancy at the time was 12. My symptoms were mild when I was young, so my mom decided not to share that prognosis with me. Back then, pancreatic enzymes and antibiotics were the only medications available to treat CF. The internet wasn’t born yet, so I had limited access to information about my disease. Read the article in Cystic Fibrosis News Today.
By Dr. Mariella Ortigosa-Goggins
For the past several years, there has been a lot of attention directed toward ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in industries across the United States, including in the accessing and delivery of equitable health care. As an example, while African Americans are at a much higher risk of being diagnosed with kidney disease, the community continues to face several disparities when attempting to access organ transplantation services.
Read the complete article in The Miami Times.
By Mike Bassett
BOSTON — Prioritizing emergency liver transplantation for patients with severe acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) resulted in relatively good survival outcomes, according to a U.K. study presented here.
Among 39 critically ill patients who were able to undergo emergency transplant, survival reached 85% at a median follow-up of 171 days, with a 1-year survival rate of 78%, reported William Bernal, MD, of King’s College Hospital in London. Read the full article in MedPage Today.
UC Davis Health’s new liver transplant program is only such program in California north of San Francisco
(SACRAMENTO) Juan Velasco is enjoying a new chapter of his life in Rio Dell, in Northern California’s Humboldt County.
This past summer, after working 22 years as a water distribution operator for the City of Eureka, Velasco had finally retired. However, within a few weeks he began experiencing intense pain in his abdomen. Soon after, his stomach and legs began to swell with fluid.
Read the full story in UC Davis Health News.
By Andrew Rhoades
About 20% of patients with COVID-19 experienced virologic rebound after receiving Paxlovid, according to an observational study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
“We conducted this study to address lingering questions about Paxlovid and virologic rebound in COVID-19 treatment,” Mark Siedner, MD, MPH, an infectious disease clinician and researcher in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a press release. Read the full article in Healio.
By Kate Burba
BOSTON — Response to treatment for acute kidney injury correlated with improved 90-day survival and shorter lengths of hospital stay among patients with cirrhosis waitlisted for liver transplant, according to data at The Liver Meeting.
“[Acute kidney injury] in cirrhosis occurs commonly in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis and leads to worse outcomes,” Xing Li, MD, MBA, a third-year gastroenterology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Healio. Read the full article in Healio.
By Kate Burba
BOSTON — Hispanic and Asian patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma were less likely to undergo liver transplantation compared with other races and ethnicities, data showed.
“MASH-HCC rates are much higher in our Hispanic patients and have surpassed hepatitis C-related HCC in 2019,” David W. Victor, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital, said at The Liver Meeting. Read the full article in Healio.
By Kristen Monaco
PHILADELPHIA — An investigational humanized IgG2 monoclonal antibody reduced proteinuria in adults with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy at high risk for disease progression despite standard treatments, a randomized phase II trial found.
In a dose-dependant manner, intravenous sibeprenlimab led to significantly greater decreases in 24-hour urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio at 12 months compared with placebo, with geometric mean ratio reductions ranging from 47.2% to 62% versus 20%, respectively (P<0.001), meeting the trial’s primary endpoint, reported Mohit Mathur, MD, of drugmaker Visterra in Waltham, Massachusetts. Read the full article in MedPage Today.
By Cathy Wurzer and Aleesa Kuznetsov
It is a full circle moment for Mayo Clinic. Next week will be the 60th anniversary of the clinics first kidney transplant from a living donor.
Now 60 years later, the clinic has performed it’s first robot-assisted kidney transplant.
On Oct. 4, a woman in her 60s received a kidney from her daughter. Dr. Timucin Taner is the division chair of Transplant Surgery at Mayo Clinic. Read the full article in MPR News.