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Biomedical subjects

K M Butt

Publications and source records attributed to K M Butt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Causes of late renal allograft failure in the ciclosporin era.

A single center experience of 514 ciclosporin-treated renal allografts which survived longer than 1 year was reviewed in order to analyze the causes of renal allograft loss beyond the 1st year post-transplantation and the contribution of selected parameters to long-term survival. 83 grafts were lost between 1 and 5 years with the most common causes of graft loss being chronic rejection (54%), death (14%), noncompliance (13%) and sepsis (11%). Actuarial 5-year graft survival rates, decaying from 100% at 1 year, of living related and cadaveric grafts were 88.6 and 79.5%, respectively. Parameters with a substantial influence on long-term survival included the quality of early graft function and incidence of acute rejection in the 1st year post-transplantation. A marker for long-term survival (> 5 years) was a significantly lower serum creatinine (177 mumol/l; < or = 2 mg/dl) at 1 year. We conclude that chronic rejection is responsible for the majority of late graft losses in the ciclosporin era as in the earlier azathioprine period.

Adult

Listeria monocytogenes: brain abscess or meningoencephalitis?

A brain abscess caused by Listeria monocytogenes developed in an immunosuppressed renal transplant patient. Meningitis and meningoencephalitis from this organism were encountered in three other renal transplant recipients at this medical center during the past 4 years. Focal neurologic deficits occurred in patients with either Listeria abscess or meningoencephalitis. Computerized tomography was a rapid aid to the diagnosis of abscess. Immunosuppression has increased the incidence of central nervous system Listeria infections, but ampicillin still provides effective treatment, even when immunosuppressive therapy is continued. Limited experience with Listeria brain abscess suggests that surgical intervention improves the prognosis.

Adult

Results of renal transplantation using pediatric cadaver donors.

In order to determine the results of transplantation using pediatric cadaver donors, a retrospective analysis of a series of 502 renal transplant recipients was carried out. Methods of procurement, preservation, recipient selection, and immunosuppressive regimen were similar for all patients. Sixty-five recipients were approximately equally divided into three groups whose donors were younger than 5 years of age, 6 to 10 years old, and 11 to 15 years. These three groups then were compared with each other and to a randomly selected representative group of recipients whose donors were adults (16 years or older) for the following parameters: actuarial graft and patient survival, causes of graft failure and patient death, level of serum creatinine in currently functioning grafts, and recipient age. There were no statistically significant differences between groups for any parameter except that the mean age of recipients was approximately 16 years for the donors up to 5 years of age and was between 31 and 36 years for the other donor age groups (P = 0.01). These results support the contention that brain-dead pediatric patients of any age should be considered to be potential cadaveric kidney donors. Exclusion of these patients is very wasteful and also is unnecessary since results of transplantation equal to those obtained with adult donors can be expected. Technical graft failures should not be more frequent than with adult kidneys, and there is no need to modify the basic surgical technique for small kidneys in order to achieve this.

Adolescent

Pragmatic realities in uremia therapy.

The present status and future prospects of uremia therapy in the United States are reviewed. Approximately 3500 renal transplants were done in 1976 as compared to 3700 in 1975. Functional two-year survival of grafts has not changed recently (40 to 45 per cent for cadaver donors; 70 to 75 per cent for siblings), but patient survival with cadaver grafts continues to improve (now 65 per cent at two years). Patients on hemodialysis in facilities are increasing rapidly. Only 13 per cent are on home dialysis, as compared with nearly 40 per cent five years ago. Home patients do at least as well as those in centers (80 per cent two-year survival) and cost 40 per cent less. Physician bias probably explains the trend to center dialysis, but pending legislation may provide new incentives for home treatment. Prospects for technical advances are good, but a greater federal investment in research and development is needed. Dollars saved on the center dialysis could be used for this purpose.

Attitude of Health Personnel

Relationship of renal transplantation to hypertension in end-stage renal failure.

The relationship of renal transplantation to new onset or persistence of previously established hypertension was analyzed in 164 transplant recipients in whom the renal allograft functioned for six months or longer. Of the 164, thirty-seven (23%) had normal blood pressure and 127 (77%) were hypertensive prior to transplantation. Following transplantation 83 patients (51%) were normotensive; high blood pressure was found in 81 (49%). Posttransplant hypertension could not be correlated with the recipient's original renal disease, age, sex, renal donor source, donor age, or maintenance dose of prednisone. More normotensive paients had undergone prior binephrectomy when compared with the hypertensive group (P less than .05). Mean serum creatinine levels was higher (2.0 mg/dl) in hypertensives than in normotensives (1.54 mg/dl) (P greater than .05). Selective renal veins' renin measurements in patients with severe hypertension were not helpful in predicting the beneficial effects of either bilateral nephrectomy or surgical correction of transplant renal artery stenosis.

Adult

Blood access.

Blood access is the most important determinant for the continued well-being of an end-stage renal failure patient, maintained on hemodialysis. From the variety of angioaccess techniques available today, the choice of one most suitable for a patient, applied at the appropriate time with an exacting technique may liberate the patient from incessant fear of loss of his "life line". Quinton-Schribner shunt as a prototype of external prosthetic angioaccess devices made life on the artificial kidney possible, but repeated thrombosis, inevitable infection, limitations of activity and threat of accidental dislodgement have severly restricted its usefulness. The internal arteriovenous fistula and its several modifications have almost completely supplanted the use of external prosthetic devices. When the procedure of choice, a direct arterio-venous fistula, is not applicable, an interposed graft of biologic prosthetic origin may be employed. Percutaneous femoral vein catheterization and veno-venous dialysis is an acceptable, indeed a valuable "stop gap" measure.

Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical

Successful renal transplantation in infancy.

This infant's post renal transplantation course, representing apparently the smallest long term survivor, illustrates that neither age nor size are contraindications to successful renal transplantation in infants with end stage renal failure. Additional experience with the transplantation of a single kidney into a 1-yr-old baby weighing 4650 gm with congenital bilateral renal hypoplasia has also been successful with a 3-mo follow-up. Both cases demonstrate that single or double renal transplantation in infants is feasible and should be considered when indicated.

Acute Kidney Injury

Patient self-referral for kidney transplantation.

A total of 634 patients referred for transplantation was followed for up to 5 yrs, 149 being self-referred and 485 being referred by their physicians. The survival rates of those transplanted in both groups were compared to those not transplanted. The self-referred group increased their chances of receiving a transplant by 20% and did not increase their risk of mortality. These findings suggest that transplantation should be recommended to all patients with end-stage renal failure as the procedure of choice.

Adolescent