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Implementation of the 2014 kidney allocation system led to increase in kidney transplantation referrals

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A study of patients initiating dialysis during 2012-2016 at nine transplant centers in the Southeastern US found that dialysis facilities referred more incident patients and transplant centers evaluated more incident patients following implementation of the 2014 kidney allocation system (KAS) but fewer evaluated patients were placed onto the waitlist. Changes in dialysis facility and transplant center behaviors following implementation of the 2014 KAS may have influenced access to transplantation. Read the full story.

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After Two Kidney Transplants, Tiffany Archibald is On Top of Her Game More Than Ever

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If you play basketball for a prestigious program like the University of Southern California (USC) or professionally in China and Europe, it’s a pretty good bet you are an athlete at the top of your game.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is just not something that should rear its ugly head if your life is about proper nutrition, consistent exercise, and high-level competition.

Right?

Tiffany Archibald would beg to differ. Read more.

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Kidney Policy Increases Patient Referrals, Evaluations

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Following implementation of the kidney allocation system (KAS) in 2014, dialysis facilities referred more new dialysis patients and transplant centers evaluated more new patients even though fewer evaluated patients were placed onto the transplant waitlist, analysis of data from three southeastern states shows.

“Nationally, we have seen declines in waitlisting, which is an unintended consequence of this policy change. There is less urgency to waitlist patients earlier because they are not accruing time on the list based on the date they were placed on the list,” Rachel Patzer, PhD, MPH, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, told Medscape Medical News in an email. Read more.

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Cost-Analysis Fuels Debate on Transplant Waitlists

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Policies that increase access to waiting lists for kidney transplant are likely to substantially increase administrative and medical costs without providing any benefit, said authors of a new study.

An examination of cost reports from all certified U.S. transplant hospitals from 2012 to 2017 indicated that Medicare reimbursements for transplant evaluation and waiting list management increased from $0.95 billion to $1.32 billion, according to researchers led by Xingxing Cheng, MD, of Stanford University School of Medicine in California. Read more.

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Low incidence of donor-specific antibodies for kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19

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Despite a significant decrease in immunosuppression, the occurrence of post-COVID-19 donor-specific antibodies among COVID-19-positive kidney transplant recipients was low, according to data published in Kidney International Reports.

“Greater severity of COVID-19 has been reported in kidney transplant recipients and is most likely due to comorbidities and immunosuppressive therapy,” Christophe Masset, MD, from the Clinic Institute of Transplantation Urology Nephrology (ITUN) at the University Hospital of Nantes in France, and colleagues wrote.  Read the full story.

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Study compares heterologous and homologous third vaccination in kidney transplant recipients

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As of February 28, 2022, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused over 5.95 million deaths worldwide, with especially high rates of mortality reported among the elderly, frail, and immunocompromised.

Kidney transplant recipients are among the most at-risk individuals of COVID-19 due to the need for long-term immunosuppressive medication to avoid rejection. Their response to vaccination is also poor, and researchers continue to examine methods to achieve a better vaccine response in this population. Read more.

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THINKER-NEXT Studies the Transplant of HCV-Infected Kidneys

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The next stage of the THINKER project — THINKER-NEXT — is aiming to settle any lingering concerns that patients and centers might have about using kidneys from hepatitis C (HCV)-infected donors and transplanting them into HCV-negative recipients in need of a kidney transplant.

Armed with an $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia will evaluate the long-term risks and benefits of transplanting kidneys from HCV-positive donors into HCV-negative recipients and compare outcomes with those attained following transplantation of HCV-negative kidneys into HCV-negative recipients. Read more.

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(Opinion) Missy Franklin: No one should die waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant

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As the world continues to battle with a staggering pandemic that understandably has captured nearly every aspect of medical news, millions of people fight battles as before with major illnesses like cancer and heart disease. Among the many Americans currently suffering from potentially fatal medical conditions are those waiting for kidney, liver, or other organ transplants.

My dad Dick and aunt (and godmother) Deb are two of them. My family suffers from Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD, a genetic disorder that reduces kidney function. Nearly half of those with PKD have kidney failure by age 60, and my father and aunt are in end-stage renal failure now. They are on the transplant list awaiting new kidneys. Read more.

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Robotic kidney transplant opens door to patients with a higher BMI

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UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus (UCH) has become the nation’s fourth medical center – and the first west of the Mississippi – to perform a kidney transplant on a high-BMI patient using a surgical robot.

The surgery, performed by University of Colorado School of Medicine transplant surgeon Dr. Thomas Pshak on Nov. 17, was the culmination of two years of preparation, and it bodes well for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get kidney transplants at all.
Read more.

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