By Kim Clarke
Joan and Janice Ottenbacher were always close as sisters. A lifesaving operation at University Hospital in 1964 made their bond extraordinary.
The 15-year-old identical twins were patients in the first human organ transplant in Michigan when Joan donated her kidney to Janice. Read the full story in The University Record.
By Abigail Brooks, MA
EnAKT LKD was conducted across 26 CKD programs in Ontario Canada, offering a multi-component intervention designed to target several barriers thought to prevent kidney transplantation and living donation – however, results showed no significant difference between the intervention and usual care groups.
Results from the Enhance Access to Kidney Transplantation and Living Kidney Donation (EnAKT LKD) trial showed evidence of intervention uptake but no difference in steps completed toward kidney transplantation between the intervention and usual-care groups.
Read the full article in HCP Live.
By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.
Biomanufacturing of organs/tissues in vitro has been driven by two needs, i.e., organ transplantation and accurate tissue models. Bioprinting, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is a technique used to develop many tissues/organs, such as the liver, skin, and heart. This technique is associated with printing structures using biomaterials, viable cells, and biomolecules. The creation of bioartificial organs has opened new avenues for future organ transplantation programs. Read the full article in News Medical Life Sciences.
By Victoria Socha
The optimal treatment for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is living donor kidney transplantation, which offers improved health outcomes. Deprived neighborhoods are defined as those with low socioeconomic status, limited social cohesion, and reduced access to health care. According to Byoungjum Kim and colleagues, there are few data available on the role of neighborhood deprivation in assess to living donor kidney transplantation. Read the full article in DocWire News.
By Abigail Brooks, MA
Findings presented at ASN Kidney Week 2023 highlighted an association between distance to the transplant center and increased clinic cancellations.
Transportation insecurity may pose a significant barrier to care and contribute to worse health outcomes and post-transplant follow-up care in pediatric transplant recipients, according to findings from a retrospective cohort study.
Presented at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2023, results showed greater distance to the transplant center was associated with more clinic cancellations, which investigators pointed out could cause delayed care resulting in negative effects on transplant health.1 Read the complete article in HCP Live.
By Annalisa Merelli
Kidney transplants are the most common organ transplant procedure in the U.S., with 25,000 taking place in 2022. But for patients who receive new kidneys, the transplant is often followed by severe lifelong challenges, many of which are linked to the immunosuppression drug regimen required after surgery to ensure the body does not reject the new organ. These treatments have side effects and toxicities that impact patients’ long-term health, and even survival, leading to a transplant failure rate of 30-50% at the 10-year mark. Read the full article in STAT.
Vaccines lower the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death.
By Mary Kekatos
As the United States heads into the cold-weather months, respiratory virus season has also arrived, with cases of influenza and COVID-19 likely to increase.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that everyone 6 months and older stay up-to-date and get a flu vaccine and a COVID vaccine, and that it’s safe to get both at the same time. Read the full article in ABC News.
By Abigail Leavins
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A Madison man can pick up his bagpipes again thanks to a new set of lungs.
Four years ago, Dave Furumoto learned he suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Upon learning the news, the former UW professor fretted about whether he would ever play the traditional Scottish instrument ever again.
Dependent on oxygen tanks to survive, Furumoto made the decision in 2021, around the time of his retirement, to go ahead with a double lung transplant at UW Health. Now, with the surgery a couple of years in the rearview mirror, he is looking forward to renewing his passion for the bagpipes and enjoying traveling again. Check out the full story on WMTV NBC 15.
Katherine Herrmann, 21, received a heart transplant in July 2022 after she was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition. Darrell Conner is the father of the deceased donor. The two met for the first time in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Watch the video on Fox News here.
By Ross Miklaszewicz
A charity worker who was given months to live has become the first patient in the world to receive a type of experimental liver transplant.
Adam Eisenberg, 58, from north London, was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
When put on palliative care, he said he was effectively “sent home to die”.
Read the full story in BBC News.