Dialysis News and Research

Latest Dialysis News and Research

Improvements in survival after dialysis in the elderly

The majority of patients starting dialysis as a result of chronic kidney disease are 65 years or older at the time of their first treatment, and many are over 75 years.

22 Oct 2007

Early intervention dramatically improves outcomes for new dialysis patients

A program of education, close medical follow-up, and self-empowerment for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) newly starting dialysis, reduces complications and improves outcomes - including significant reductions in mortality and hospitalization rates, reports a study in the November Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

19 Oct 2007

New peritoneal dialysis diagnostic discovered

Thanks to a discovery by scientists at Robarts Research Institute and The University of Western Ontario, patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis may soon be able to worry less about the risks of infection and lessen their hospital stays.

18 Oct 2007

HIV linked to increased risk of end-stage renal disease in African-Americans

For African Americans infected with HIV, the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is six times higher than for whites with HIV - and similar to the ESRD risk associated with diabetes, reports a study in the November Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

18 Oct 2007

Rare bone marrow transplant procedure as University of California, San Diego Medical Center

Patients living with Myasthenia Gravis (MG) may breathe easier thanks to a rare bone marrow transplant procedure performed at The Bone Marrow Transplant Program at University of California, San Diego Medical Center, the only program in the western United States that has attempted this procedure.

10 Oct 2007

Lowering blood pressure protects stroke victims with chronic kidney disease from further strokes

New research, published in the Journal of American Society of Nephrology by The George Institute for International Health in Sydney, has found that lowering blood pressure protects stroke victims with Chronic Kidney Disease from further strokes or heart attacks.

8 Oct 2007

Million of pounds of frozen ground beef contaminated with E.coli

The latest recall of food products in the United States has left consumers alarmed and also at a loss when it comes to the safety and reliability of many foods offered for sale in stores.

2 Oct 2007

Better use of kidneys from deceased donors

Several new studies suggest how transplant surgeons can make more effective use of kidneys from deceased donors – even those that are at the outer limits of acceptance criteria – according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

2 Oct 2007

Painful condition affecting kidney failure patients increases risk of death

A painful and debilitating condition that affects patients with kidney failure may be more common than previously believed and appears to be strongly associated with prior exposure to certain contrast agents used in imaging studies.

29 Sep 2007

Higher death rates in kidney patients with nephrogenic systemic fibrosis

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a newly identified debilitating and painful condition that affects patients with kidney failure and is characterized by a thickening and hardening of the skin.

29 Sep 2007

Clinical trials for diabetes drugs should measure outcomes important to patients

Most clinical trials for new diabetes drugs do not consider the impact medication will have on a patient's quality of life or other outcomes that are important to patients, such as the risk of developing complications associated with diabetes, according to a Mayo Clinic commentary in the current issue of The Lancet.

27 Sep 2007

UCLA Medical Center performs its first living donor kidney swap

UCLA Medical Center on Sept. 20 performed its first living donor kidney “swap,” a procedure in which a loved one of a kidney transplant patient who is not compatible as a donor exchanges organs with another incompatible pair under an innovative new paired donation program.

27 Sep 2007

Possible cause of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis found

New findings from researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues suggest why some people with kidney failure can develop a rare tightening and swelling of the skin and other organs, including the lungs and heart.

25 Sep 2007

New synthetic version of the drug heparin

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have patented a synthetic version of the drug heparin, called Recomparin, that is less complex chemically and should be easier to produce than previous forms.

24 Sep 2007

Diet and lifestyle offers significant benefits to people with chronic kidney disease

"People who suffer severe chronic kidney disease clearly need support with their diets," she said. "When their kidneys function at less than 30 per cent they often lose their appetites, which can lead to malnutrition and compound their health problems."

24 Sep 2007

E. Coli crops up again in lettuce from the U.S.

In yet another food scare in North America, Canadian consumers are being warned about contaminated lettuce.

17 Sep 2007

New devices and trials for the treatment and prevention of dialysis access stenosis

Having a healthy kidney is worth a billion dollars. But an unhealthy kidney costs more - about $16 billion more, according to Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, MD, PhD, associate professor in the division of nephrology and hypertension at the University of Cincinnati (UC).

13 Sep 2007

Community superbug a growing menace

A strain of the superbug MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is causing concern across the U.S. because it is becoming more common in the wider community.

11 Sep 2007

3,000 kidney transplants performed at NYP/Weill Cornell

More than 3,000 lives have been saved through the kidney transplant program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and its medical partner The Rogosin Institute.

2 Sep 2007

Staggering costs of end-stage renal disease in U.S.

Recent progress in the prevention and treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States give reason for "cautious optimism," but skyrocketing costs are a major concern, according to a Special Article in the October Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

12 Aug 2007