Renal Society of Australasia

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Renal News

Territory guarantees dialysis
Date: 27 February  Source: The Australian
THE Northern Territory government has moved to allay concerns that interstate patients needing life-saving dialysis are being turned away from its hospitals, saying all urgent cases will continue to be treated.

Survival rates for dialysis patients rise
Date: 25 February  Source: ABC Online
A rise in the survival rates of Northern Territory dialysis patients is proof the Government is improving the lives of Indigenous Territorians, the Health Minister, Kon Vatskalis, says.

Elder may die for lack of dialysis
Date: 24 February  Source: The Australian
THE South Australian government is continuing to refuse to fund the renal dialysis of remote patients in Alice Springs, leaving senior community leaders such as Nura Ward with few options but to return to her lands to die.

Nura Ward and her niece Melissa Thompson. (NPY Women's Council) 'I'm crying': dialysis patient forced interstate
Date: 23 February  Source: ABC News
A senior woman from the remote South Australian community of Ernabella is the latest renal patient to be knocked back for long-term dialysis treatment in Alice Springs.

NZ breakthrough in transplant test
Date: 18 February  Source: NZ Herald
In a world first, University of Otago researchers have developed a simple urine test to detect whether transplanted kidneys are failing.

FUNDING BONUS: Acting general manager of the Wagga Base Hospital Michelle Sleep and central sector general manager of Greater Southern Area Health Services Jill Ludford yesterday celebrated the announcement, by the minister for health, that the Wagga renal dialysis unit will receive an additional $1.165 million in funding. Picture: Oscar Colman Renal unit granted $1.165 million
Date: 12 February  Source: Daily Advertiser
DONNA Baddelly is one patient who could not hide her smile at the announcement the Wagga Base Hospital renal dialysis unit will receive $1.165 million in additional funds. Ms Baddelly has been accessing the vital service for the past four years, and yesterday declared the funding was "badly needed" due to cramped and antiquated conditions and the lack of patient privacy.

Moss Vale dialysis patients given a medical runaround
Date: 10 February  Source: Southern Highlands News
THREE times a week Barbara and Philip Clarke would wake up at 4am to travel 130km one-way for dialysis. The Moss Vale couple travelled to Concord Hospital for the past nine months so Barbara could receive her treatment.

MP pushes hospital's dialysis capacity
Date: 10 February  Source: ABC Online
Independent MP Chris Foley says Maryborough Hospital in south-east Queensland is being under-utilised in its capacity to treat dialysis patients in the region.

A FATHER'S LOVE: Tammy Tamihana-Brown,13, has a cuddle for her dad Sam who gave her a life-saving kidney. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell
A bit more of Dad than most
Date: 9 February  Source: Gisborne Herald
FOR the Tamihana-Brown family, 2010 has started with a happy ending and a new beginning. On December 9, Tammy Tamihana-Brown was given the gift of life . . . a kidney from her father Sam.

Indigenous patients in limbo over dialysis row
Date: 6 February  Source: ABC Online
South Australian Aborigines are travelling hundreds of kilometres away from their communities for renal dialysis because of an impasse between the South Australian and Northern Territory Governments.

Incompatible kidney surgery a world first
Date: 5 February  Source: news.com.au
A NEW blood freezing technique has enabled a UK woman to donate an "incompatible" kidney to her sister, saving her from probable death, Sky News reported today.

Dialysis still inadequate
Date: 4 February  Source: Forbes Advocate
Up to four patients from Forbes will still be making the trip to Orange to access dialysis services despite Monday's funding announcement, according to the Shadow Health Minister Jillian Skinner.

Renal unit kicks off $22.5m care centre
Date: 28 January  Source: Tasmanian Examiner
THE Kings Meadows renal unit will be officially opened today as part of the $1 million redevelopment of the Launceston Community Health Centre.

NZ Open's bravest volunteer Derek O'Connell: 'Having a busy time at the Open will be a great way of keeping my mind off things' Meet Queenstown's ultimate volunteer
Date: 28 January  Source: scene.co.nz
Derek O'Connell is Queenstown's ultimate volunteer. He'll give a helping hand throughout golf's New Zealand Open – then give up a kidney to his seriously ill brother.

End-of-life care falls short for kidney disease patients
Date: 20 January  Source: Virtual Medical Centre
Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) often do not receive adequate end-of-life care and are unhappy with the medical decisions made as their conditions worsen, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that end-of-life care should be improved to meet the needs of CKD patients.

More research needed to determine kidney and renal artery abnormalities, says study
Date: 18 January  Source: News-Medical.net
Abnormalities in the kidneys and their blood vessels occur in at least 25% of healthy individuals, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). While most of these conditions are not harmful enough to prevent someone from donating a kidney, future studies are needed to determine their impact on long-term health.

Treating anaemia in patients with kidney disease
Date: 11 January  Source: 7.30 Report, transcript
At least a dozen Britons are offering to sell their kidneys for twenty thousand pounds or more to beat the credit crunch and pay off their debts. The practice of selling or even offering to sell organs for money is illegal all over the world and those found guilty in the United Kingdom face up to 3 years in prison. However, health professionals believe it's time for debate over the regulation of organ donation as the UK holds one of the lowest organ donors in the developed world.

Organs for sale
Date: 10 January  Source: Virtual Medical Centre
In light of recent findings that an anaemia-fighting drug doubles the risk of stroke in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) without substantially improving their quality of life, doctors should be cautious about prescribing these medications.

More die waiting for kidney transplants
Date: 7 January  Source: adelaidenow.com
SOUTH Australians are dying as they wait for organs, particularly kidneys. The latest statistics show the death rates of people on dialysis, many of whom are waiting for kidney transplants, have increased to the highest level in 10 years and are above the national average.

Proposal aims to improve dialysis access
Date: 6 January  Source: ABC Online
WA Country Health has met representatives from the Northern Territory to discuss a proposal to allow patients from the Western Desert access to dialysis in Alice Springs.

FULL OF LIFE: A year after Brian Fearn's kidney transplant, the Upper Hutt man is back at work, spending time with family and persuading his friends to become organ donors. Celebrating the present that keeps on giving
Date: 5 January  Source: stuff.co.nz
For nearly a decade, Brian Fearn was hooked up to a dialysis machine for eight hours at a time three times a week. A gift of a kidney changed that.

Growing demand on renal units
Date: 1 January  Source: Gympie Times
THE rapidly increasing number of Fraser Coast patients ending up on dialysis following kidney failure has the potential to impact on Gympie dialysis patients. Gympie dialysis patients fear being shunted down to Nambour Hospital with Fraser Coast patients overflowing to Gympie for their treatment.

Dialysis dilemma grows
Date: 31 December  Source: Fraser Coast Chronicle
RENAL disease is a serious issue and demand for haemodialysis in the Fraser Coast region is growing, says Health Minister Paul Lucas. Yet on Tuesday seven Maryborough renal patients had to travel by ambulance to Gympie Hospital for their five hours in the chair.

Health warning about kidney disease for Peninsula men
Date: 31 December  Source: Redcliffe & Bayside Herald
REDCLIFFE: Peninsula men at high risk of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) should request regular kidney checks when they visit their GP in the same way people are now conditioned to ask for checks for prostate cancer, heart disease, blood pressure or diabetes, Kidney Health Australia said.

Paul Arundell will have less hospital visits in the new year when he gets his own home dialysis machine. Home dialysis machine helps Paul
Date: 30 December  Source: Queensland Times
IPSWICH man Paul Arundell only wants one thing in the new year – his own home dialysis machine. The 56-year-old was diagnosed with kidney failure in August and is walking proof of the benefits of early detection.



FULL RECOVERY: Arrowtown Golf Course manager John Stephens has completely recovered after donating a kidney to his sister. Kidney donor doing well a few months after surgery
Date: 29 December  Source: stuff.co.nz
An Arrowtown man who donated his kidney in September is encouraging other people to do the same after making a full recovery in only a few months.

Peritoneal dialysis updates
Date: 24 December  Source: News-Medical.net
The importance of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in the therapy of chronic kidney disease has been steadily increasing. The simultaneous advancement in clinical practice and basic research has increased overall knowledge and led to significant progress in the safe and adequate application of PD. Moreover, integration with other techniques in the therapy of uremia represents an important step in the optimization of the whole program of renal replacement therapy.

Life-saving: Sandra Dawson donated one of her kidneys to granddaughter Ellie Hodge. Picture: Mike Keating Source: Herald Sun
Grandma's Christmas gift a life-saving kidney
Date: 24 December  Source: Herald Sun
SEVEN-year-old Ellie Hodge will wake up early tomorrow and open presents from Santa for the first time with her big brother and sister. Little Ellie has battled kidney failure for most of her life, but four months ago her 60-year-old grandmother, Sandra Dawson, gave her a life-saving kidney.

Triage NGAL bedside blood test helps identify AKI risk: New study
Date: 18 December  Source: News-Medical.net
According to a new study published last week in Intensive Care Medicine, a novel bedside blood test measured in critically ill patients being admitted to the intensive care unit can help to identify which patients are at risk for acute kidney injury (AKI). The study carried out in Vicenza, Italy, tested blood samples collected during admission to the ICU using the Triage® NGAL Test, a product currently sold by Inverness Medical Innovations.

Renal patients forced to travel
Date: 18 December  Source: Bay Post
Desperately ill shire residents are being forced to travel long distances to access dialysis services because of a lack of funding at the Moruya Hospital Renal Unit.

Kidney cancer research grant a NZ first
Date: 16 December  Source: scoop.co.nz
Kidney cancer research grant a NZ first University of Auckland chemist Associate Professor Michael Hay has become the first New Zealand scientist to receive a grant from a leading international charity for funding cancer research.

Englerin A possesses high toxicity for kidney cancer cells, researchers discover
Date: 16 December  Source: News-Medical.net
Englerin A, a natural product recently discovered in an African plant, possesses high toxicity for kidney cancer cells but low toxicity for other cells. Therefore this compound is potentially qualified for further evaluation toward an application in cancer therapy. "We have noticed that one ingredient of catmint has a structure similar to that of englerin A", explains Mathias Christmann, professor of organic chemistry at TU Dortmund.

'Risky donor' transplant trial
Date: 14 December  Source: The Age
THE Royal Melbourne Hospital has begun a trial of a controversial transplant technique that uses cancerous kidneys. ''Marginal'' or ''risky donor'' transplants work on the theory that a kidney with the cancer cut out is better than none - especially for older people.

Patrick Tjungurrayi will now have access to treatment in Alice Springs. (Papunya Tula) Interstate dialysis treatment pleases Greens
Date: 11 December  Source: ABC News
The Australian Greens have welcomed the decision to allow some interstate patients access to dialysis in Alice Springs. A new arrangement between the West Australian and Northern Territory Governments has allowed Kiwirrkurra resident and award-winning artist Patrick Tjungurrayi access to treatment.

Labtests admits faulty results
Date: 7 December  Source: NZ Herald
Labtests has admitted it sent out a cluster of faulty blood test results for kidney function before staff detected a problem with one of its machines.

Sleep apnoea may cause heart disease in kidney transplant patients
Date: 7 December  Source: VirtualMedicalCentre.com
Sleep apnoea is common in individuals who receive a kidney transplant and is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke, according to a study appearing in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). Researchers found that kidney transplant patients are just as likely to have this sleep disorder as dialysed kidney disease patients who are on the transplant waiting list. Therefore, both types of patients who have sleep apnoea should be considered at high risk for developing serious heart-related complications.

Indigenous artist Patrick Tjungurrayi works on a painting in the remote community of Kiwirrkurra in Western Australia. (ABC News: Sara Everingham) Dialysis policy 'like sending him to Mars'
Date: 4 December  Source: ABC News
Health officials from three states and the Commonwealth will sit down today to plan for the rising number of Aboriginal people in Central Australia who need dialysis for kidney failure.

No SA money for NT dialysis treatment
Date: 4 December  Source: ABC News
South Australian health authorities have confirmed they will not be providing additional funding so that renal patients from the State's far north can have dialysis in Alice Springs.

Kiwi's kidney research pays off
Date: 3 December  Source: NZ Herald
Ground-breaking research into improving the condition of kidneys for transplantation has earned a young Kiwi doctor a top doctoral scholarship.

Greens call for more dialysis services
Date: 18 November  Source: ABC News
The WA Greens Senator Rachel Siewert says the Federal Government must step in to provide dialysis treatment for patients in regional WA.

Community still awaiting dialysis demountable
Date: 16 November  Source: ABC News
The Northern Territory Health Department says it is yet to determine whether the Hermannsburg community will get a demountable for dialysis self-care.

Regional waiting lists grow for renal patients
Date: 17 November  Source: ABC News
The Northern Territory Government is continuing to refuse to accept new dialysis patients from Western Australia on the grounds its Alice Springs treatment service is full.

Fully revised and updated text on renal system
Date: 16 November  Source: News-Medical.net
Research and Markets has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new report "The Renal System at a Glance, 3rd Edition" to their offering.

Dialysis emergency: ministers agree to talks
Date: 12 November  Source: ABC News
The West Australian and South Australian health ministers have confirmed they will attend an emergency meeting on Central Australian dialysis services this week.

For kidney disease patients, staying active might mean staying alive
Date: 23 October  Source: VirtualMedicalCentre
Getting off the couch could lead to a longer life for kidney disease patients, according to a study appearing in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that, as in the general population, exercise has significant health benefits for individuals with kidney dysfunction.

Jimmy Little doing a lot to tackle kidney disease
Date: 22 October  Source: The Australian
DIABETES and kidney failure may have weakened Jimmy Little but they have failed to sap the legendary singer's will to prevent others suffering the same fate.

Hawkes Bay District Health Board celebrates self-care renal service
Date: 22 October  Source: All about Hawkes Bay
The Hawkes Bay District Health Board has celebrated the official opening of a new home dialysis training unit and self-care renal service. The new unit at Ballantyne House in the Hawkes Bay Hospital grounds will give more patients the opportunity to train and learn how to use dialysis at home.

Aggressive dialysis not justified
Date: 21 October  Source: ScienceAlert
New research released today will have significant impact on the treatment of kidney failure patients in intensive care settings around the world.

NEW LIFE: Susi Malota has just had a successful kidney transplant after being on dialysis for 18 years. Kidney transplant success ends 18 years on dialysis
Date: 20 October  Source: North Shore Times
Susi Malota is rediscovering life after being on dialysis for the past 18 years. The Rothesay Bay resident suffered from renal failure but had a kidney transplant from a deceased donor about three months ago.

Stem cell treatments could repair the kidney defects associated with Alport syndrome
Date: 19 October  Source: NewsMedical.net
Several cell-based therapy approaches could provide new treatments for patients with Alport syndrome, reports an upcoming paper in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

Fortunate ... Barry Mathers, 67, received a kidney from a younger donor, but thinks a policy change would provide new hope for many. Photo: Steven Siewert Old kidneys for old folk in transplant plan
Date: 19 October  Source: Sydney Morning Herald
THEY are the kidneys transplant doctors reject: considered too old or unhealthy to give another person a decent shot at life. Now, they may be harvested after death from people in their late 60s or 70s to ease Australia's desperate shortage of organs for transplantation, but only if the recipient is also elderly – under a proposal about to unleash an ethical storm.

The silent killer
Date: 14 October  Source: ABC Online
Put your hand on your heart. That was easy, wasn't it?
Now put your hand on your kidneys.
Unless you're a doctor or a nurse, I bet you had to pause, at least, before patting yourself vaguely about half way down the back.

PM to announce Launceston kidney funds
Date: 12 October  Source: The Examiner
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd is expected to announce funding for Launceston's renal satellite service when he arrives in the city this morning.

Moves to improve deal for kidney patients
Date: 7 October  Source: ABC Online
Organisers of national kidney dialysis survey want New South Wales Monaro patients to comment on the resources available to them.

Hairs control kidney regrowth
Date: 7 October  Source: Science Alert
A study by Monash University researchers has shed new light on the microscopic antennas in the kidney that are involved in the organ's repair process.

Childhood Kidney Disorder Has Lasting Effects
Date: 5 October  Source: Virtual Medical Centre
A kidney condition that can arise in children and was until recently believed to disappear after puberty may persist into adulthood and cause significant long-term complications, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that better treatment options are needed for children with the disorder, called minimal change nephrotic syndrome.

Mya Tamatea has travelled a long road, but earlier this year the brave young Wanganui girl received a new kidney from an auntie, and was granted a trip- to-Disneyland wish. Behind are Mya’s parents Kathryn Puohotaua and Richard Tamatea. Another kereama, another kidney donated
Date: 2 October  Source: Wanganui Chronicle
Mya Tamatea greets us at the door dressed in her Disneyland dress. She is so much taller since the Chronicle first interviewed the shy seven-year-old dressed like a princess, in 2007.

Tracie Davies is at home resting after having a kidney transplant. Healthy Tracie home and happy with new kidney
Date: 29 September  Source: Macleay Argus
WHEN East Kempsey resident Tracie Davies answered her house phone at 4am on a cold July morning she did not know what to expect. Was it bad news? Or a wrong number?

Kidney failure 'on the rise'
Date: 29 September  Source: The Australian
THE number of people experiencing kidney failure and requiring dialysis is escalating at an alarming rate, according to new figures released by Kidney Health Australia.

Weight loss is good for the kidneys
Date: 26 September  Source: Virtual Medical Centre
Losing weight may preserve kidney function in obese people with kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that taking off the pounds could be an important step kidney disease patients can take to protect their health.

Experiencing in-hospital kidney injury requiring dialysis associated with increased risk of chronic dialysis, but not death
Date: 24 September  Source: Virtual Medical Centre
Hospitalised patients who experience acute kidney problems that require dialysis are at increased risk of receiving chronic dialysis once discharged, but do not have an increased risk of death, according to a study in the 16 September issue of JAMA.

INDIA: Most Live Donors Are Wives or Mothers
Date: 24 September  Source: Australia.to
Here's a statistic that reveals the truth about gender relations in India. Of the roughly 4,000 kidney transplants performed across the country in a year, about 80 percent of donors are women, with wives making up more than 90 percent of spousal donations.

VisEn launches new imaging agent for monitoring key hypertension and renal disease biomarker
Date: 24 September  Source: News-Medical.net
VisEn Medical Inc., a leader in fluorescence in vivo imaging from research through medicine, announced today the commercial launch of its new ReninSense680(TM) FAST imaging agent for measuring and monitoring a key hypertension and renal disease biomarker in vivo.

State-of-the-art renal dialysis service opens at Auburn
Date: 19 September  Source: StreetCorner.com.au
Minister for Health Carmel Tebbutt and Member for Auburn Barbara Perry visited Auburn Hospital today to meet patients in the brand new Renal Dialysis Unit.

Administering dopamine to brain-dead kidney donor may improve outcome of transplant
Date: 15 September  Source: Virtual Medical Centre
Pretreatment of a brain-dead, heart-beating kidney donor with dopamine reduced the need for dialysis for the kidney recipient in the first week after the transplantation, according to a study in the 9 September issue of JAMA.

Mya Tamatea, 9, her brother Mason, 7, and mum Kathryn Puohotaua at Auckland Airport yesterday to start their adventure. Photo / Greg Bowker
Little kidney patient's link to Lomu
Date: 14 September  Source: NZ Herald
A 9-year-old Wanganui girl and All Black great Jonah Lomu have two things in common: determination and the gift of a second chance at life by kidney donations - from the Kereama family.



PEAK fitness: Manning dialysis patients take part in trial exercise program
Date: 9 September  Source: Manning River Times
DIALYSIS patients at Manning Hospital are taking part in one of only three trials in Australian hospitals of a new exercise program designed to improve their medical condition and quality of life.

Renal facilities boosted in central Australia
Date: 8 September  Source: ABC Online
Central Australia will soon increase its capacity to offer dialysis to renal patients. The Health Minister Kon Vatskalis has visited the site of a new 12 station renal unit under construction in Alice Springs.

Condobolin lobbies for dialysis service
Date: 7 September  Source: ABC Online
There is a warning renal patients in Condobolin are suffering because of the long distances they are forced to travel for treatment. The Lachlan Shire Council had asked former health minister John Della Bosca for his support to open a renal unit in the town.

Kidney disease on the rise, experts say
Date: 7 September  Source: ABC Online
Medical experts are concerned more Australians are being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in their early to mid-20s. About 400 delegates to an international conference in Hobart have heard dialysis alone costs $100,000 a year per patient.

Costs of treating kidney disease going up: study
Date: 3 September  Source: ABC Online
A new study has found spending on chronic kidney disease in Australia jumped by a third over four years, and costs are still rising.

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