News & Events
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Contents:
8 Ways to Be a Safe Patient
When you have surgery, receive dialysis, or visit your doctor, you deserve safe care. Everyone plays a role in patient safety and quality health care. CDC and its partners provide expertise, data, and programs for safe health care to support public health, healthcare workers, patients, and caregivers. How Can I Be a Safe Patient? Speak up. Talk to your healthcare provider about any questions or worries. Ask what they’re doing to protect you from infections. Keep hands clean. Make sure everyone, including friends and family, cleans their hands before touching you. If you don’t see your healthcare providers clean their hands, ask them to do so. Be Antibiotics Aware. Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections—they [...]
Ask the Doctor
Velma Scantlebury, MD, DPC Education Center Health Care Consultant 1. Four hours is too long for me to sit in dialysis. Do I have to attend every treatment? Answer: Think of dialysis as being the only way to get the toxins out of your body from the food that you consume everyday - three times a day. When you lose kidney function and are on dialysis, you are usually then only cleansing your body every other day. Those toxins will build up and can cause your body to deteriorate over time. Missing dialysis is harmful to your body. It causes toxins and water that cannot pass out to sit in your system, [...]
The DPC Education Center is Pleased to Welcome Velma Scantlebury, MD, to the Team!
Velma Scantlebury, MD, the first African-American female transplant surgeon in the United States, has joined Dialysis Patient Citizens as a healthcare consultant. Dr. Scantlebury served as a kidney surgeon for over 30 years, dedicating her life’s work to educating and raising awareness for the health disparities people in the Black community face from kidney disease. Born in Barbados, Dr. Scantlebury’s family moved to New York City when she was 15. She attended Long Island University on a full academic scholarship, obtaining a biology degree with a pre-med focus. Dr. Scantlebury then earned her medical degree from Columbia University, completed her residency in general surgery at Harlem Hospital, and finished her clinical fellowship at the [...]
The Kidney Citizen Issue 17
The DPC Education Center is Pleased to Welcome Velma Scantlebury, MD, to the Team, Ask the Doctor, 8 Ways to Be a Safe Patient, and more!
A Step Forward: Inhibiting APOL1 (Gene) to Treat Kidney Disease
By V. Scantlebury, MD, FACS, DPC Education Center Healthcare Consultant A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine by Egbuna and colleagues (1) reported that in a small study, patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) who are homozygous for the variants in the gene encoding apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) when treated with the drug Inaxaplin, (which inhibits APOL1 function) demonstrated significantly reduced protein excretion. Inaxaplin is the first investigational therapy that is directed at treating APOL1-mediated kidney disease. Why is this significant? There is a disproportionate burden of chronic kidney disease in persons of African ancestry. FSGS and other forms of kidney disease affect African Americans and persons of African descent to a [...]
Recipe of the Month: Kidney Friendly Honey-Garlic Kebabs
Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. Fire up that grill! Our June recipe is: Kidney Friendly Honey-Garlic Kebabs. Ingredients Makes 15 servings Marinade: 1/4 c olive oil 1/3 c honey 1/4 c Bragg's Liquid Aminos 1/4 tsp black pepper 3 garlic cloves crushed Kebabs: 4 medium chicken breasts 4 small onions 3 medium bell peppers Instructions Mix all marinade ingredients together in a plastic bag. Add chicken (or prepared kebabs) to marinate at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight in refrigerator. Use marinade to baste [...]
Recipe of the Month: Alkaline Green Power Smoothie
Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. The weather is starting to heat up as we approach summer, which makes our May recipe an excellent choice for those days when you want to sip on a cool treat: Alkaline Green Power Smoothie. Recipe developed by Clarissa Paimanta, RD Ingredients Makes 1 1/2 cup unsweetened rice milk 1/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free yogurt 1 cup baby kale 1 apple core removed and diced 2-4 ice cubes 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted Optional: 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup and [...]
Bringing Racial Equity to Kidney Transplant Evaluation
By V. Scantlebury, MD, FACS, DPC Education Center Healthcare Consultant Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina’s Department of Surgery has developed an initiative that will help address the disparities seen in kidney transplantation for African Americans. While African Americans develop kidney failure at a rate that is three times greater than Whites, they are four times less likely to receive a kidney transplant by 12 months after a diagnosis of kidney failure. There are many barriers that contribute to these inequities and the researchers at MUSC, hope to implement strategies designed to reduce the structural barriers that prevent African Americans from obtaining access to kidney transplantation. One barrier that was identified was [...]
ADA Advises New BP, Lipid Targets for People With Diabetes
By V. Scantlebury, MD, FACS, DPC Education Center Healthcare Consultant The American Diabetes Association has recently made more aggressive changes to the Standard of Care in Diabetes -2023. Published in December 2022 as a supplement in Diabetes Care, this document is considered the gold standard for the care of over 100 million Americans living with diabetes and pre-diabetes. Below is a summary of some of the recommendations: A blood pressure target for people with diabetes of less than 130/80 mmHg, if it can be reached safely. Blood pressure targets should be individualized through a shared decision-making process that addresses the risks of cardiovascular disease and the potential adverse effects of antihypertensive medications and patient [...]
Recipe of the Month: Feta, Onion, and Pepper Pizza
Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. As the days become longer, take advantage of the warmer evenings and dine alfresco with our Italian-Inspired April recipe: Feta, Onion, and Pepper Pizza. Ingredients Makes 8 servings 3 cups bell peppers (red, green, and/or yellow) chopped 1 cup onion (red or yellow) sliced and separated into rings 3 cloves garlic crushed 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning dry 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 cup feta cheese crumbled (can reduce to 1/2 cup to reduce sodium) Instructions Preheat oven [...]
Staph Infections in Hemodialysis Patients
A new study, looking at data from the 2020 National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and the 2017-2020 Emerging Infections Program (EIP), has found that Hispanic patients on hemodialysis had a 40% higher risk of having a Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bloodstream infection than white patients. This is on top of all hemodialysis patients being 100 times more likely to have an S. aureus bloodstream infection than non-dialysis patients. Data also showed that the S. aureus bloodstream infection rate was strongly associated with vascular access via central venous catheter over graft or fistulas. Higher rates of S. aureus bloodstream infections have also been found to correlate to people living in areas with higher poverty levels, those with [...]
Recipe of the Month: Caribbean Lime Shrimp Salad
Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. It might not feel like spring yet, but you can pretend to be somewhere warm and tropical while enjoying our March recipe: Caribbean Lime Shrimp Salad. Ingredients Makes 6 servings Salad: 6 cups broccoli slaw fresh bagged kind found in all produce sections...can also use a cabbage slaw or just plain green salad 1 cup pineapple tidbits fresh or canned 1 cup mandarin orange segments 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup cilantro chopped 1 bunch green onions sliced, [...]
Recipe of the Month: Berry Yogurt Smoothie
Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. February’s featured recipe is a festive shade of pink for Valentine’s Day: Berry Yogurt Smoothie Recipe developed by Clarissa Paimanta, RD and tested by Jessica Prohn, MS, RD, CSR, LDN. Ingredients Makes 1 servings 3/4 cup unsweetened plant based yogurt** 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted) Instructions Add all ingredients except coconut oil into the blender. Blend until smooth, adding more almond milk as needed to achieve [...]
A Career and Dialysis Become a Way of Life
By Gene Blankenship, DPC Board Member I was 42 years old when I crashed into dialysis, though my family obviously knew about my kidney disease. I also worked full time and so the next step was to tell my employer, OPEA. I cannot compliment my employer enough. From the second I told my Supervisor and our Executive Director it was, as the cool kids say, "cake". First words out of their collective mouths were "How can we help?' My doctor and I had already discussed what I could do while still keeping my health a priority. This made it easier as we sat down to come up with a reasonable plan that [...]
Just a Dad with Kidney Disease
By Gene Blankenship, DPC Board Member Being a dad with kidney disease is something that I never imagined when I was younger. Actually, I never once pictured myself as a person who would be challenged by kidney failure, even though I watched my dad "Big Gene" struggle with end stage renal failure all my life until his death when I was 12 years old. Now, my weeks each have an automatic 16 hours at the dialysis center (20 hours with travel) during “prime time” completely scheduled for me until I receive a transplant. Those 20 hours are the perfect time for school games, plays, family events etc. This presents the challenge for a [...]
COVID is Surging Again
We are now at the end of the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic and once again in a winter surge. According to data from the CDC, hospitalizations have surpassed what was seen this past summer and for people 60 or older – the group most vulnerable to more severe infection, that number has drastically increased since mid-November. In part, this latest surge can be attributed to XBB.1.5, the latest Omicron subvariant, which has evolved to be better at evading immunity from both vaccination and previous infection. There are other factors that play into the surge though, including time of year (viruses survive better in colder, drier weather) and human behavior such as holiday gatherings, [...]
Recipe of the Month: One-Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. Our featured recipe for January is the perfect cozy meal for winter weather: One-Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe created by The KidneyRD Team Ingredients Makes 6 servings 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter divided 1 small yellow onion minced 1 stalk celery thinly sliced 2 carrots diced medium 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour divided 3 cups low sodium chicken broth **see note 1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken 1/3 pound green beans trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (or just [...]
Reducing Mortality Risk Through Physical Activity – Is There an Activity Pattern That is Best?
Can you get the mortality risk reduction benefits being a “weekend warrior” instead of just regularly active? A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of four published cohort studies on the topic suggest just that. The four studies, published between 2004 and 2022, totaled 426,428 participants (weighted mean age, 44.5 years) and looked at the relationships between different physical activity patterns and the risk for adverse CVD outcomes. “Weekend warrior,” which is one or two sessions per week, “regularly active,” which is multiple sessions spread out over the week, and inactive were all looked at to see if weekend warrior and regularly active participants fared better than inactive participants for CVD outcomes using self-reported questionnaires. In [...]
Recipe of the Month: Kidney-Friendly Ginger Cookies
Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. December’s recipe is here just in time for the holidays: Kidney-Friendly Ginger Cookies Recipe created by Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT Ingredients Makes 24 cookies 2-1/4 cups all-purpose white flour 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 3/4 cup butter 1-1/8 cups granulated sugar 2 egg whites 1/4 cup honey Instructions Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and [...]
Improving Pregnancy Outcomes for Women on Dialysis or with a Kidney Transplant
New research suggests that pregnancy outcomes are improving for women on dialysis or with a kidney transplant. Hayet Baouche, MPH, of APHP-Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, REIN Registry in Paris, France and colleagues reported in Clinical Kidney Journal that from 2010 – 2020, the frequency women on dialysis becoming pregnant increased. There was a decrease in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and polyhydramnios, as well as lower rates of neonatal and perinatal deaths compared to previous decades, likely attributed to advancements in obstetric and neonatal care, and progress in fetal monitoring and dialysis treatments. A systematic review of 14 retrospective and prospective studies was performed, representing 2,364 women on dialysis (92.6% hemodialysis; 7.4% peritoneal dialysis) and 2,754 [...]
