Sensing Savvy

(Gleaned from the 2018 USRDS Annual Data Report: Volume II: Chapter 7)

In children, adolescents and young adults, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is caused by both congenital and acquired disorders. A majority of children with ESRD will depend on the spectrum of the available renal replacement therapies throughout their lifetime, including hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and transplantation. Throughout their ESRD experience, children are at risk for failure to grow, frequent hospitalizations, and significantly higher mortality than the general pediatric population. Hospitalizations due to medical or surgical indications are a particular burden to the ESRD population.

(Gleaned from the 2018 USRDS Annual Data Report: Volume 1, Chapter 5: www.usrds.org)

Acute kidney injury (AKI), also called acute renal failure, is a rapid loss of kidney function. It is a common complication among hospitalized patients and is associated with both morbidity and mortality. 

Founded by cardiothoracic surgeon and television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2003, HealthCorps is an American non-profit organization that provides school-based and organizational health education and peer mentoring, in addition to community outreach to under-served populations – mostly Hispanic and African American. Its mission is to make students happier and more productive by giving them life-saving skills in nutrition, fitness and mental resilience as well as CPR training, organ donation and more. The program claims to impact from 400 to 600 high school students per school per year.

(Gleaned from the 2018 USRDS Annual Data Report: Volume II: Chapter 1)

Dr. Martin Ruß and his critical care team at the Intensive Care Clinic of Charité - Medical University and Institutes of Health in Berlin, Germany, report a case in which they used the Transonic ELSA Monitor to optimize oxygen flow in a 10-year-old ECMO patient.

An end-stage-renal-disease (ESRD) patient’s vascular access is a constant reminder that they have a life threatening disease and must rely on dialysis to live. Their access is their link to life. However, all types of vascular accesses, be they arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), prosthetic grafts (AVGs), or central venous catheters (CVCs) require maintenance and have complications that can impact a patient’s overall quality of life.

Pediatric cardiac surgeons at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., perform the Stage 1 Norwood surgery to correct the hearts of infants born with congenital defects.¹ They find postoperative management after Stage 1 Norwood surgery particularly challenging because of the lack of real-time monitoring or data about systemic and pulmonary blood flow.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is is a major 21st century medical challenge. More than 650,000 patients per year in the United States and an estimated 2 million patients worldwide are affected by end stage renal disease (ESRD). These patients will require renal replacement therapy to survive. The rapid rise of common risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, especially among the poor in developing nations, will result in even greater and additional burdens on medical communities.

Excerpted from Emily Lockhart
Sunday, March 25th, 2018 

The gradual progression from unhealthy kidneys to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and finally to kidney failure is often very subtle with very few symptoms in the early stages. Fifteen of the most common signs of kidney failure include: 

Kidney Care UK is the United Kingdom’s leading kidney patient support association, providing practical, financial and emotional support for renal patients and their families. It campaigns to improve care services across the United Kingdom. 

For more than 40 years, the association has been working to improve the quality of life for kidney patients and their families. It works tirelessly to improve renal care policy and practice in order to improve patient lives. It gives renal patients a strong and influential voice at the highest level.