Transplantation

Should kidney transplant programs provide long-term follow-up of living kidney donors?

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A number of single-center studies show that living kidney donation is associated with minimal morbidity and mortality.

Living Donor Size Affects Kidney Transplant Outcomes

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Allograft function at one year post-transplant is more likely to be low if the donors are small.

Early Post-Transplant Readmission Linked to Frailty

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Study finds a 60% increased likelihood of being hospitalized within 30 days of kidney transplant-related discharge.

Low GFR Post-Kidney Donation Not CKD

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Renal function improves over time in donors, declines with chronic kidney disease.

Living Kidney Donation Declining in U.S.

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Reasons may include increasing prevalence of diabetes and obesity, economic disincentives, and transplant center oversight.

Too Much Salt Raises Post-Transplant Hypertension Risk

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Systolic blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or higher raised death-censored graft loss risk twofold.

Obesity Often Thwarts Living Kidney Donation

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New findings could explain, at least in part, why live kidney donation has stagnated in the U.S.

Post-Transplant Dialysis Need Predicts Early Readmission

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Persistent need for dialysis at discharge increased the likelihood of readmission nearly threefold, study finds.

Vitamin D Deficient Tx Patients Benefit from Oral Cholecalciferol

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Plasma vitamin D levels increased to greater than 50 nmol/L in 80% of patients.

Transplant Patient Death Risk Higher If Donors Are Smokers

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Recipients of kidneys from smokers are twice as likely to die as patients who get kidneys from nonsmokers.

Living Kidney Donors Facing More Rapid Declines in Renal Function

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From 2004 to 2010, the median fall in eGFR in the first year after donation grew significantly from 23.3 to 31.9 mL/min/1.73 m2.

DGF-Associated Mortality Higher in the Elderly

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Delayed graft function in patients aged 70 and older increased their death risk twofold.

Immunosuppressive Drug Costs Decline, But Still Expensive

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The annual per-patient cost for kidney transplant recipients dropped from $33,040 in 2007 to $18,746 in 2011.

Longer CMV Prophylaxis May Be Better

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Cytomegalovirus viremia less likely with 200 rather than 100 days of valganciclovir after kidney transplantation.

Post-Transplant CMV Infection Hits GI Tract Hardest

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Study characterizes cytomegalovirus infections in a large population of kidney transplant recipients.

Post-Transplant Bone Preservation Strategy Not Helpful

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In a study, vitamin D and calcium supplementation for one year made no difference in bone mineral density.

Strategies Offer Similar Protection from CMV Disease

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At-risk transplant recipients, however, have a lower risk of graft failure with prophylaxis than preemptive therapy.

Blood Pressure Rises Observed in Living Kidney Donors

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Even blood pressure not considered hypertensive may reflect latent risk for adverse outcomes.

Is screening for cancer warranted following a kidney transplant?

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Improvements in immunosuppressive therapy have resulted in longer survival of kidney transplants, but they also may increase malignancies.

Donor Criteria Consensus Sought in Canada

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The objective is to eliminate the need for donors to travel to recipients' transplant centers to undergo nephrectomy.

Web-Based Tool May Aid Kidney Transplant Decisions

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Patients with ESRD may now have a tool to help them decide on kidney transplantation.

Study Highlights Need To Bolster Efforts to Educate ESRD Patients

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Greater efforts may be needed to educate patients with end-stage renal disease, especially African Americans.

Renal Artery Stenting May Protect Allografts

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Easing stenosis in transplanted renal arteries improves kidney function.

Financial Barriers May Be Hampering Paired Kidney Exchanges

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Paired kidney exchanges are not as popular because there is no way for insurance companies to determine which company pays for which donor's surgery.

Ureteral Stents Hike BK Viruria, Viremia Risk in Transplant Patients

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Researchers recommend BK virus screening for all kidney transplant recipients.

Abnormal BP Raises Delayed Graft Function Risk

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Study implicates low diastolic and high systolic pressure immediately after kidney transplantation.

Prostate Cancer Need Not Preclude Kidney Transplants

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Five-year mortality is lower among PCa patients who receive a transplant rather than stay on dialysis.

Pre-Transplant Cancers Might Be Overlooked

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In a study, 44% of neoplasias detected within a year of transplantation may have been present prior to surgery.

Longer Time on Dialysis Post-Tx Associated with Worse Outcomes

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Patients needing dialysis for at least two weeks after receiving a kidney had lower eGFR at one year.

Post-Transplant New-Onset Diabetes Linked to Low Magnesium

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Low serum magnesium found to increase the risk by nearly 50%.