By Annalisa Merelli
By the time his wife Glenda Daggert received a double organ transplant in 1999, Ira Copperman already had a lot of experience as a caregiver. The couple had been together for over two decades, married for one, and Copperman had become accustomed to helping Daggert manage her diabetes and its complications. Mixing insulin, going along for doctor’s visits, administering injections: it was all routine. Read the article in STAT.
Members of the Mayo Clinic’s Inpatient Team walk you through what to expect during your transplant hospitalization and your immediate post-transplant clinic follow up. Watch the video from the Mayo Clinic.
By Penn Medicine News Writer
For thousands of people around the world waiting for a kidney, paired exchange serves as a beacon of hope. One person’s willingness to undergo the act of Kidney Paired Donation (KPD) often sets in motion a chain of beautiful and selfless acts, where individuals give and receive the chance for a better life. After completing its 100th KPD transplant in a 12 month period, the Penn Transplant Institute now holds the worldwide record for the most KPD transplants in a year. Read the article in Penn Today.
By Zharia Jeffries
Earlier this month, U.S. state representatives and senators rallied on Capitol Hill advocating for the reinstatement of Medicare coverage for vital blood tests crucial in the post-transplant journey.
“I initially had planned to be a part of that group until I got sick,” said Margaret Gamble, a former South Carolina state representative. Read the article in The Post and Courier.
By Mark E. Neumann
PHILADELPHIA — An increase in patient education about living organ donation did not result in improvements in changing patient views of pursuing organ transplantation, according to data presented at ASN Kidney Week. Read the article in Healio.
By Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Most organ transplantations involve supply from older donors to younger recipients. Aging cells can become senescent, a condition in which they stop multiplying and secrete chemicals that negatively affect neighboring cells. Senescent cells accumulate in older donor organs and have the potential to compromise transplant outcomes.
Read the article in Medical Xpress.
By Joyce Frieden
WASHINGTON — Heart transplant patient Eddie Garcia was “feeling like a million bucks” one day in the summer of 2021. He had just gotten back from a 3-mile walk, something he couldn’t do prior to his transplant in 2020 — “There was a time when I couldn’t walk down to my mailbox and back without huffing and puffing,” Garcia said Tuesday at a press conference at the Cannon House Office Building here. Read the full article in MedPage Today.
By Eduardo Cuevas
Evan Dame lives in near-constant fear his body will reject his transplanted kidney.
For a time, a simple blood test from the comfort of the 39-year-old’s Maryland home just outside of Washington would assuage that fear. He’d get the test every two to three months at 6 a.m., just before he started work as a facilities manager. Read the article in
USA Today.
By Matt Batcheldor
For the second year, a delegation of doctors from Ukraine recently visited Vanderbilt University Medical Center to observe organ transplants and protocols.
With the help of Vanderbilt and other transplant centers, Ukraine has developed a growing transplant program in the country in the last three years, said Borys Todurov, MD, a Ukrainian cardiac surgeon and director of The Heart Institute in Kyiv, who performed the nation’s first heart transplant. Read the complete article in the VUMC Reporter.
When the time comes each year for open enrollment, transplant patients face a unique set of considerations. The process, which can already be overwhelming for the average individual, takes on added significance for those who have undergone or are waiting for a transplant. As a caregiver or patient, it’s essential to understand how to navigate this period effectively. Here are 9 tips to help navigate open enrollment with transplant needs in mind.
Read the complete article on CareDx.com.