It was truly a Labor Day weekend to remember at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where transplant teams performed 10 kidney transplants in two days — and that was before even getting to Labor Day.
Tag: Kidney Transplant
Study shows donor kidneys with toxoplasma do not increase risks for transplant patients
Researchers determined that transplant patients who receive kidneys infected with the parasite toxoplasma have virtually the same outcomes as those who receive toxoplasma-negative organs.
INCREASING ORGAN TRANSPLANT ACCESS (IOTA) MODEL ANNOUNCED TO INCREASE PATIENT ACCESS TO KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION
The long-awaited Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model was released yesterday by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) focusing on increasing patients’ access to kidney transplantation across the United States.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY CALLS ON CONGRESS TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR THE US TRANSPLANT SYSTEM
Today, leaders from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) will meet with their congressional delegations and call for their support of an $8 million increase for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Organ Transplantation Program in FY 25 This funding, totaling $67 million, will be used to continue Congress’ commitment to people seeking a transplant and will implement reforms to modernize the transplant system and make transplant care more accessible.
Transplant doctor discusses how living kidney donors can help those in need of a transplant.
Eric Martinez, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, discusses how living kidney donors can help those in need of a transplant. What You Need to Know: Risk factors that could lead to kidney transplant include high blood pressure and…
American Society of Nephrology Celebrates Transformational Transplant Funding
Delivering on its commitment to increase Americans’ access to kidney transplant by improving the transparency and efficiency of our nation’s transplant network, Congress this week approved a much-needed $23 million federal funding increase in fiscal year (FY) 2024 for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the agency responsible for overseeing the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).
Immunotherapy Combination May Benefit Patients with Transplanted Kidneys and Advanced Skin Cancers
People who have had a kidney transplant are at high risk for developing skin cancers. New research directed by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is exploring the best combination of treatments to target skin cancers while preserving the transplanted organs.
Two Texas transplant programs team up to save lives
Two hard-to-match transplant patients 250 miles apart are starting 2024 on a new path to healthy lives.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY CONGRATULATES HOUSE AND SENATE SPONSORS UPON ENACTMENT OF THE SECURING THE U.S. ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPLANTATION NETWORK
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) congratulates the House and Senate sponsors of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Act upon President Biden signing the legislation and thanks the Biden-Harris administration for its commitment to improving American’s access to transplantation.
UIC awarded $3M to study link between gut microbiome, pain in kidney transplant patients
Funded by NIH, the five-year study builds off a pilot study that pointed to an association between changes in the gut microbiome and pain that interferes with a person’s daily activities, a symptom that nearly half of kidney transplant patients experience.
Study Shows Mitochondrial Transplantation Effective in Reversing Damage to Kidneys and Kidney Cells
According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for a kidney transplant, and the demand for donated kidneys far exceeds the supply. In fact, only 25,498 kidney transplants were performed in 2022, and kidney disease impacts 37 million people in the U.S. But a new preclinical study, led by scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, shows that a new technology called mitochondrial transplantation holds promise as a potential therapy that could change the kidney transplant landscape.
Loyola Medicine Improves Health Equity by Increasing Access to Kidney Transplants for Patients with Obesity
Loyola Medicine’s advanced robotic surgery program makes it one of the few hospitals in the country to offer kidney transplantation to patients with obesity.
The Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift: A Daughter Gave Her Own Mother Life Through the Gift of Organ Donation
It’s one thing to buy your mother flowers or a gift certificate to the spa for Mother’s Day – but it’s a whole other thing to give her the gift of life. In a reversal of roles, thanks to the miracle of kidney donation, a New Jersey daughter was able to give her own mother the gift of life, 37 years after her mom gave her life.
American Society of Nephrology Celebrates the Re-Introduction of the Living Donor Protection Act
• The Living Donor Protection Act (LDPA) will remove barriers facing living donors.
• Approximately 90,000 adults and 1,100 children are on the kidney transplant waitlist.
• 12 American die every day while waiting for a kidney transplant.
• More than 37 million Americans are living with kidney diseases, including more than 800,000 with kidney failure.
The Medical Minute: Six organ donation facts knock down six myths
More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are awaiting new organs. Many won’t live long enough to get them. The new chief of transplant at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center debunks the myths that get between donors and recipients.
Three Kidney Transplants, Weight Gain and a Journey Back to Wellness
Rowena Roque, 46, was having a problem that many people can relate to: doing everything in her power to lose weight and get healthy but never succeeding.
CMU Research Supported by PSC Wins Artificial Intelligence Award
Tuomas Sandholm’s work since 2010 to improve the fairness and effectiveness of organ donations using PSC supercomputers has won the 2023 AAAI Award for Artificial Intelligence for the Benefit of Humanity.
Disparities in Kidney Transplant Access Can Be Reduced Through a Multilevel Quality Improvement Effort
An academic medical center in Charleston, South Carolina, was able to significantly improve access to kidney transplants for African Americans by streamlining and standardizing the evaluation process, according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Two Couples, Two Kidneys—and All Heart
This Thanksgiving, when the Moraleses think about what they’re thankful for, the Thompsons are at the top of the list.
Great Actions Leave a Mark campaign celebrates the Gift of Life through Living Organ Donation
UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre and The Centre for Living Organ Donation announce today the launch of a new campaign, Great Actions Leave a Mark, www.greatactions.ca. The campaign showcases through artistic photos and video, the stories and scars (the mark) from 39 living organ donors and transplant recipients across Canada.
Pediatric kidney transplant patients fare better when kidney is from live donor
Do pediatric kidney transplant patients have better long-term outcomes when their kidney comes from living, biologically unrelated donors compared to deceased donors? A new UC Davis Health study published in the journal Pediatric Transplantation finds that they do.
Second Opinions and a Heroic Mother Lead to Second Chances at Life
Adelynn Garza knows a thing or two about beating the odds.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY STRONGLY SUPPORTS CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF TRANSPLANT SYSTEM
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) supports efforts by Congress to improve the US transplant system. Today, the Senate Finance Committee will conduct an oversight hearing, A System in Need of Repair: Addressing Organizational Failures of the U.S.’s Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).
Anti-rejection medication and immunotherapy kicks cancer and protects kidney transplants
Adding immunotherapy to standard anti-rejection medication could change the lives of thousands of kidney transplant patients with incurable cancer, as new research shows it can reduce this risk of organ rejection and eliminate cancer in a quarter of patients.
Kidney Donor Saves a Life and Undergoes First Single-Incision Donor Procedure Performed at Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center surgeon performs kidney donor procedure using a single-incision laparoscopic approach — marking the first time the surgical technique has been used at the hospital.
15 Years on the Job and Not One Sick Day Until…
It may be hard to believe in these unpredictable times but some people, like Margaret Kluin, haven’t missed a day of work in years. For the last 15 years, Margaret, a nurse manager in the orthopedic surgery department at Ocean…
Mayo Clinic study confirms living kidney donor surgery is low risk for most patients
The risk of major complications for people who donate a kidney via laparoscopic surgery is minimal. That is the conclusion of a 20-year Mayo Clinic study of more than 3,000 living kidney donors. Only 2.5% of patients in the study experienced major complications, and all recovered completely.
Has 2014 policy change affected racial disparities in pediatric kidney transplantation?
In a study of children on the U.S. kidney transplant list from 2008 to 2019, researchers found no racial and ethnic disparities regarding time on the waitlist until transplantation either before or after a 2014 policy change.
Vanderbilt Transplant Center Reaches New Record Number of Transplants Performed
The Vanderbilt Transplant Center performed a record number of solid organ transplants in fiscal year 2021 (FY 21) — 637 life-saving procedures among its adult and pediatric programs — despite occurring entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Study Examines Symptoms Before and After Kidney Transplantation
• In a study of patients waiting for a kidney transplant, those who experienced various symptoms had a higher risk of dying while on the waitlist.
• Symptoms tended to increase or remain unchanged between transplant evaluation and transplantation; however, at 3 months after transplantation, 9 of 11 symptoms lessened.
Many U.S. Patients with High Priority for Kidney Transplants Are Not Placed on the Transplant Waiting List
• Among U.S. adults with kidney failure, many of those who have the longest expected post-transplant survival are not being placed on the kidney transplant waiting list.
• African Americans, patients lacking commercial health insurance, and those residing in lower income communities are less likely to be waitlisted.
Improving dialysis through design
Faculty from the McKelvey School of Engineering and the School of Medicine teamed up to design better grafts for dialysis patients.
Transplant Patient Celebrates Two Birthdays in One Month
Last month, Lara Holmes celebrated two birthdays—her normal birthday, and the first birthday since she received the gift of a lifetime: a new pancreas and kidney.
Cedars-Sinai Tip Sheet: Mother’s Day Edition
Mother’s Day, our annual reminder to honor amazing moms everywhere, is next Sunday, May 9. Cedars-Sinai invites you to learn more about two mothers who went to heroic lengths to deliver their children, and another mother who is inspired by her heroic daughter.
Test to Predict Kidney Transplant Rejection Works for Children
n many ways 19-year-old, Brenna Kahlen is a typical teenager. She is living at home in Newport Beach, working and going to college. But unlike most of her peers, Brenna is a now a medical first.
Vanderbilt Transplant Center Achieves New Record for Total Transplants Performed in 2020
The Vanderbilt Transplant Center (VTC) established a new record in 2020 for total solid organ transplants, performing 611 life-saving procedures among its adult and pediatric organ transplant programs.
Virtual kidney transplant evaluation allows patients to be evaluated for transplantation from home
A virtual telehealth platform is allowing a surgery program to evaluate and wait-list patients for kidney transplantation.
Kidney Biopsy Analyses Cause Potentially Transplantable Organs to Be Discarded
• When determining whether kidneys are suitable for transplantation in the United States, biopsy analyses don’t provide useful information beyond standard donor and recipient characteristics.
• Many kidneys discarded based on biopsy findings would likely benefit U.S. patients who are waiting for a transplant.
Simultaneous kidney transplant plus weight loss surgery safe for obese patients
A new study shows that robotic-assisted kidney transplant and weight loss surgery can be performed safely.
Good Samaritan’s gift starts 5-way kidney swap at Houston Methodist Hospital
A husband and wife, a mother and son, two cousins, two sisters, and a boss and her direct report were strangers from different cities and diverse backgrounds. Now, after a successful, and rare, 5-way kidney swap at Houston Methodist, they are instant family.
Study finds pioneering dual surgery a safe option for patients with polycystic kidney disease
Patients with large polycystic kidneys in need of a kidney transplant can have their diseased kidneys safely removed laparoscopically at the same time as their transplant surgery. That is the finding of a Mayo Clinic study recently published in the American Journal of Transplantation.
Steep Decline in Organ Transplants Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
France and the United States have experienced a tremendous reduction in the number of organ donations and transplant procedures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By early April, transplant centers in both countries were conducting far fewer deceased donor transplants compared to just one month earlier, with the number of procedures dropping by 91 percent in France and 50 percent in the United States.
Early Blood Marker May Predict Future Risk of Kidney Transplant Failure
• In a study of kidney transplant recipients, the composition of certain immune cells in the blood 1 year after kidney transplantation was linked with a patient’s subsequent risk of kidney transplant failure.
GW Experts Available to Speak During Kidney Health Month
WASHINGTON (Mar. 4, 2020) – Approximately 37 million American adults have chronic kidney disease and many others are at increased risk, according to the National Kidney Foundation. March is Kidney Health Month and the George Washington University (GW) School of…
University Hospitals Employee Offers to Donate Kidney within Ten Minutes of Meeting Patient in Need
Erika Hosey, a cardiovascular technician at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, ended the year by giving a life-changing gift to a patient in need. While performing a routine cardiac stress test, she drummed up a conversation. She learned that her patient, Denise Butvin, had kidney disease and needed transplant surgery.
“Erika just blurted out…I’ll give you my kidney,” said Butvin. “I was in shock. I couldn’t believe this was real.”
While Butvin is a positive person, she has been through an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs and on waitlists in Ohio and Pennsylvania for five years. Her family and friends were not an organ match. Both her sister and father were on dialysis for many years and passed away from kidney disease, so she knew how pressing this transplant surgery was.
Hosey started the process the next day, and after a few weeks of testing turned out to be a perfect donor match. “To be a kidney donor match for someone is really a shot in the dark,” she
Identical Twin Kidney Transplants Warrant Gene Sequencing, Researchers Say
Using U.S. transplant registry data, clinical researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that kidney transplants between identical twins have high success rates, but also surprisingly high rates of immunosuppressant use.
Study Examines Variation in Transplant Centers’ Use of Less-Than-Ideal Organs
• In 2010-2016, many U.S. transplant centers commonly accepted deceased donor kidneys with less desirable characteristics.
• The use of these organs varied widely across transplant centers, however, and differences were not fully explained by the size of waitlists or the availability of donor organs.