Transplant - March 2015 Archives

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G55tlheAfAg PHOENIX — The shortage of kidneys needed for organ transplantation in the U.S. can be alleviated in part by using select kidneys with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), resulting in safe and positive outcomes, according to research conducted at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Results of the single-site study, led by Raymond Heilman, M.D., Chair of the Division of Nephrology, suggest that acutely injured kidneys from deceased donors can be considered for transplantation — reconsidering previous thinking that such kidneys should be discarded. Kidneys can result in acute injury when the organ ceases to function, generally caused by heavy blood loss, severe infection, extreme dehydration and some medications.  At the same time, according to Dr. Heilman, “The kidney has a remarkable ability to regenerate parts of the organ that weren’t working.” MEDIA CONTACT: Lynn Closway, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4337, closway.lynn@mayo.edu

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband, 48, was diagnosed last month with primary sclerosing cholangitis. Does this mean he will eventually need a liver transplant, or do some people with the disease never get to that point? He has had irritable bowel syndrome for years; are the two conditions related? ANSWER: Primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC, is not associated with irritable bowel syndrome. But it can be related to another condition broadly termed inflammatory bowel disease, or more specifically, ulcerative colitis. Your husband should be tested for ulcerative colitis if that has not already been done. Many people who have PSC do eventually need a liver transplant. That is not the case for everyone, though. Regular monitoring and follow-up care can help manage symptoms and catch complications of PSC early. PSC affects the ducts that carry the digestive liquid bile from your liver to your small intestine. In people who have PSC, inflammation causes scars within the bile ducts. The scars make the ducts hard and narrow. Over time, this can cause serious liver damage. PSC often progresses slowly. As it advances, the disease may result in repeated infections and can lead to bile duct tumors or liver tumors. Eventually, PSC may cause the liver to fail. On average it takes about 10 years until most people with PSC need a liver transplant. However, the rate at which PSC progresses varies widely. Some people with this disease live a normal lifespan without every progressing to liver failure or needing a transplant.