News & Events
Discover new information and educational offerings that we provide. Explore our newsletters, blogs and upcoming webinars/conference calls.
Contents:
Next Education Call: Tuesday March 29
Learning you need to go on dialysis can be overwhelming. A diagnosis of ESRD means significant life changes including dietary restrictions, fluid restrictions in addition to receiving treatment three times a week. With all these drastic changes, it’s important to not only take care of your physical health but your mental health as well. Join us on Tuesday, March 29 at 3 pm Eastern to hear from Dr. Teri Boudreau on ways you can continue to Live Well on Dialysis. The call can be viewed online by visiting www.dpcedcenter.org/education-call or by phone at 1-877-399-5186, conference code: 433-459-5474.
New Procedure Could Make Kidney Transplants From Any Donor Possible
More than 100,000 patients are currently on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, and one of the biggest challenges involves finding a compatible donor to minimize risk of organ rejection. But what if compatibility wasn’t a requirement? Johns Hopkins University recently unveiled a study in which doctors altered a patient’s immune system, allowing the patient to receive a kidney from a previously incompatible living donor. For the study, patient participants underwent a process known as “desensitization.” This is when the immune system’s cells, or antibodies, are filtered from the blood. Doctors waited until the patients’ bodies replenished the antibodies, then performed the transplant with an incompatible living donor kidney. It was found that the [...]
Artificial kidney technology continuing to see major developmental progress
Currently, there are over 100,000 patients on the kidney transplant waiting list, while only around 17,000 patients receive a transplant every year. A device is in development by a team of scientists at Vanderbilt University in Nashville to try and eliminate this organ shortage. They are developing an implantable artificial kidney that uses microchip filters and live kidney cells to clean the blood. The microchips are made out of the same silicon elements that are used in computers. Each microchip filter contains pores that hold living kidney cells that mimics the kidney’s function of cleaning waste and fluids from the blood. The device would be powered by the patient’s heart and designed to avoid rejection [...]
“Dialysis 101” Recording Now Available!
The DPC Education Center kicked off it’s 2016 education call series last Thursday on a topic important to all kidney disease patients: Dialysis 101. Debbie Cote, a nephrology nurse and administrator for several facilities in Virginia, was our featured presenter. She covered all aspects of the dialysis treatment including access types, how the machine works, and what labs to monitor during and after treatment. If you were unable to listen to the call live, the recording is now available for viewing below. Additionally, be sure to join us for the next education call “Transplant 101” scheduled on February 17 at 3:00 PM Eastern.
CDC aims to increase awareness of sepsis
Sepsis is the body’s reaction to an infection, leading to organ and tissue damage, and possible death. To raise awareness, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) designated September as Sepsis Awareness Month for the general public and health professionals. Infection prevention is especially important for dialysis patients, as bloodstream infections occur in 37,000 dialysis patients per year. The CDC feature blog posts documenting experiences with sepsis from a medical perspective, and include ways to improve care and treatment options. These resources are also available to patients, which include videos and fact sheets.
Development of Living Kidney Membrane Offers Hope to Kidney Patients
Researchers at the MIRA Research Institute and the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center (RUNMC) in the Netherlands recently created a living kidney membrane. To do this, they combined kidney epithelial cells (cells made of protective tissue) with an artificial membrane. Dr. D. Stamatialis led researchers at MIRA and Dr. R. Masereeuw led researchers at RUNMC to publish their shared findings in the scientific journal Acta Biomaterialia. Their research is part of the Bioart project under the auspices of the European Union (EU) Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN). The aim of the Bioart project is to develop innovative bio-artificial devices for the treatment of kidney and liver diseases. Researchers at MIRA and RUNMC say their particular [...]
Prevention of Kidney Stones Vital for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
Some people who repeatedly develop kidney stones may also have high levels of calcium deposits in their blood vessels. A study recently published by the American Society of Nephrology suggests that this could explain their increased risk for cardiovascular disease. "It's becoming clear that having kidney stones is a bit like having raised blood pressure, raised cholesterol, or diabetes in that it is another sign of, or risk factor for, cardiovascular disease and its consequences," said study co-author Robert Unwin of University College London. The main message "is to begin to take having kidney stones seriously in relation to cardiovascular disease risk, and to practice preventive monitoring and treatments, including diet and lifestyle." Since kidney [...]
Utilizing Public Resources to Prevent Kidney Disease
People living with diabetes know that diabetes might affect their eyes, feet and heart. But, many do not realize that they also have to think about their kidneys. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease, followed by high blood pressure. The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has a number of helpful resources and materials to educate people at risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). These materials help people and their loved ones understand the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. For people with diabetes or high blood pressure, the NKDEP explains the importance of getting tested for kidney disease [...]
What’s New in Kidney Transplantation
The current system for how organs are distributed is 20 years old. Meanwhile, waiting times have dramatically increased due to the number of people needing kidney transplants. Several changes were recently recommended to the system, including efforts to match people with transplants so they last for a longer period of time as well as a new focus on providing hard to match people with more of an opportunity for a kidney transplant than in the past. The KDPI- Kidney Donor Profile Index determines how a kidney will be classified based on the criteria of how long the transplanted kidney is likely to function. Some of the criteria are age, height, weight, ethnicity, cause of death [...]
Join Us for a Webinar on Slowing the Progression of Kidney Disease!
March is National Kidney Month, and March 12th is World Kidney Day. With 26 million American adults suffering from kidney disease, it is critical to spread awareness about the disease. Join us Monday, March 9th to hear from a nephrology nurse on how to slow the progression of kidney disease. Our webinar and conference call will take place at 3pm ET and is open to everyone. Please share this information with your facilities, friends and family that may be at risk for kidney disease. To join the call, dial (877) 399-5186 and enter code 433-459-5474. To watch the webinar and follow along with slides that accompany the call, go to www.DPCEdCenter.org/education-call
Kidney Disease Patients Face Unique Challenges in Health Care Communities
Chronic kidney disease patients living in health care communities, such as nursing facilities and assisted living facilities, face unique challenges related to maintaining a renal-specific diet. A recent article in the Journal of Renal Nutrition, suggests the controlled meal environment may have a more negative effect on residents nutritional status than a positive one. “When initially considered, the average person may be quick to conclude that diets are better managed in health care communities than at home,” writes Julie Hulsebus-Colvin, MBA, RD,CDN. However, this control and inflexibility regarding meal times and portion sizes can have a negative effect on a patient’s nutritional status, particularly on a patient with CKD. Other challenges presented by a controlled [...]
Generic Version of Transplant Drug Found to Perform as well as Brand
A recent study conducted by the University of Cincinnati found that patient outcomes were almost identical for generic and brand-name versions of tacrolimus, a drug used post-transplant to reduce the risk of organ rejection. With more affordable generics now on the market, the study took a closer look at the outcomes of what have often been referred to as narrow therapeutic index medications. The study’s lead investigator Rita Alloway, PharmD (a research professor of medicine and director of transplant clinical research at University of Cincinnati’s Department of Internal Medicine) presented the study findings at the 2015 American Transplant Congress. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funded the study, which tested the two generics most unlike [...]
Kidneys That Suffered Acute Injuries May Be Good Candidates for Transplantation
Studies show that kidneys from deceased donors who had acute injuries (defined as injuries with blood loss that affect the kidney, often sustained in car accidents) are frequently discarded, but could be transplanted with better results than transplants with delayed graft function. (Delayed graft function occurs when a transplanted kidney does not immediately start to function properly and may require some dialysis for a period of time.) Yale Director of Applied Translational Research Dr. Chirag Parikh and colleagues tracked kidneys from 1,632 deceased donors and, as expected, found that kidneys from patients with acute kidney injury were discarded more often. The researchers said that patients who received injured kidneys were not at any higher risk [...]
Diabetes Awareness Month
Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease, accounting for nearly 44% of new cases each year. Coinciding with Diabetes Awareness Month, we were pleased to host an education call on November 3 to discuss the physiology of diabetes in Chronic Kidney Disease patients as well as beneficial lifestyle interventions. Danielle Kirkman, PhD was our guest speaker. She is currently a University of Delaware research fellow, focusing on the benefits of physical activity on vascular health. Dr. Kirkman discussed the importance of monitoring your blood glucose levels early on to avoid kidney failure. The extreme fluctuations in blood glucose levels puts great strain on your kidneys as well as your cardiovascular system. In addition [...]
Challenges Appear on Horizon for Dialysis Workforce
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) recently conducted a survey which found that 51% of nephrology residency programs go unfilled. The American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) also recently surveyed its membership, and 39% of respondents said their unit has insufficient staff, creating a rushed environment that contributes to incomplete work! Many ANNA survey respondents saw overlap between their working conditions and patients’ treatment conditions. Another area of concern for respondents was long hours, which contribute to various errors. While most nephrology nurses rated patient safety favorably, there is always room for improvement. There has also been a recent trend of declining interest in nephrology careers, with half of all nephrology residency programs going unfilled. Of [...]
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Draws Attention to Need for Hygienic Practices
It is hard to remember a time when there were so many news stories about infectious disease. First, the public was told to worry about a really bad flu this winter. Then an outbreak of the measles, which many thought to have disappeared decades ago due to immunization. And now the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is warning of a new superbug: CRE (the scientific name for which is carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae). This should not be a cause for alarm, but rather a call for vigilance by every patient to take charge of their own health. CRE is a family of bacteria that is resistant to most antibiotics. CRE mainly causes infections when it leaves the [...]
ESRD Patients Living Longer Despite Growth of CKD
According to a study by the US Renal Data System (USRDS), the University of Michigan, and the Arbor Research Collective for Health, the number of people newly diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD) has been steadily declining since 2010. In 2012, only 114,813 people were newly diagnosed with ESRD, bringing the total number of ESRD patients in the US to 636,905. Mortality rates for ESRD patients have also been declining, indicating that patients on dialysis or with kidney transplants are living longer. This means dialysis patients are receiving higher quality care on the whole. While 14% of US adults have CKD and more can be done to prevent its growth, this development comes as [...]
