Written By Michelle A. Josephson, MD
For many people with end-stage kidney disease, or kidney failure, weight has been a barrier to receiving a kidney transplant. However, many kidney transplant centers and specialists are reexamining traditional weight criteria, opening the path for more people to be candidates for kidney transplantation. Read the full article in At the Forefront UChicago Medicine.
By Amy McGorry
As many as nine in 10 adults with chronic kidney disease do not know they have it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s an important fact to know during March — National Kidney Month — and all throughout the year.
By the time kidney disease is detected, it is usually in the advanced stages — which means a patient may need dialysis several times a week. Read and watch the story on Fox News.
Undergoing any surgery puts you at greater risk for infection. But with kidney transplants, you are often at even higher risk of infection from a range of viruses and bacteria, known as pathogens, because the medications you take afterward affect your immune system.
“Medications suppress your immune system so you will not reject the new kidney,” says Nikhil Agrawal, MD, a nephrologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “This makes it harder for your body to fight off a viral or bacterial infection.”
Read the full story on CareDx.com.
By Dr. Kenneth Brayman
How does a living kidney donation work, and who is eligible to be a donor?
The first successful kidney transplant in humans was accomplished in 1954, and the transplant was from a living donor. Advances in immunosuppression (drugs that prevent rejection of donated organs) were achieved in the 1980s and 1990s, and the field of organ transplantation has grown remarkably over the past 40 years. Read more in The Daily Progress.
Mar 6, 2023
Kidney transplantation (KT) is the gold standard treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Hospital readmissions post-transplant is a common complication and can be considered an indication of avoidable morbidity and hospital quality, and there is a significant correlation between EHR and adverse patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess the readmission rate following kidney transplants, the underlying causes, and possible ways to prevent it.
Read more in Physician’s Weekly.
A review of 23 studies found that evidence of kidney disease prior to a liver transplant is the strongest predictor kidney disease afterward.
Since the first liver transplant was performed at the University of Colorado 60 years ago, the procedure has evolved into life-saving surgery for countless patients with end-stage liver disease around the world. In the U.S., there are just over 9,200 liver transplants performed in 2021. Read more in Urology Times.
The following is the summary of “A Contemporary Evaluation of Urological Outcomes After Renal Transplantation” published in the January 2023 issue of Urology by Kennedy, et al.
Patients undergoing urologic procedures after receiving a kidney transplant are at increased risk for infection and other urological problems. Read more in Physician’s Weekly.
The following is the summary of “Dynamic changes of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in brain-dead donors and delayed graft function in kidney transplant recipients” published in the November 2022 issue of Renal failure by Zhang, et al. To read more, visit Physician’s Weekly.
Jailyn Mason and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh had been in this situation before.
There was a kidney available for 9-year-old Jailyn, who also needs a small bowel transplant. To get the transplant, Jailyn had to travel to Pittsburgh from her home in Texas within a matter of hours – too fast to arrange flights on a commercial airline. Read the full story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
(Tribune News Service) — For two men — one an Eagles fan and the other a Chiefs supporter — a bond runs far deeper than their favorite teams’ forthcoming showdown in Super Bowl LVII.
Billy Welsh, of Cherry Hill, and John Gladwell, of Kansas City, Mo., met on a military base in 2001 while serving in the Marine Corps. Gladwell, then a Marine with years of experience under his belt, admitted he wasn’t too fond of the incoming recruit Welsh and his northeastern attitude. But today they share two things: a newfound football rivalry and a kidney.
Read the full story in Stars and Stripes.