CASE STUDY World-first clinical trial improves patient outcomes for kidney transplants
Dr Michael Collins
Royal Adelaide Hospital
Filmed August 2023
A world-first clinical trial conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and at hospitals across Australia and New Zealand has identified the best fluid treatment to reduce the risk of patients requiring dialysis after a kidney transplant.
Around one in three people who receive a kidney transplant suffer delayed graft function, which means the transplant doesn’t work immediately and they require dialysis.
The lead-author of the study, was Royal Adelaide Hospital Nephrologist and University of Adelaide researcher, Dr Michael Collins.
During the four-year study, fluids were trialled in 808 patients with kidney failure, who received a kidney transplant from a deceased organ donor at the RAH and 15 other hospitals in Australia and New Zealand.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide and University of Sydney, found 30 per cent of participants who received Plasma-Lyte 148 needed dialysis after transplant, compared with 40 per cent of participants who received saline.
The results of the study are now being used to improve the health of kidney transplant patients in Australia and New Zealand and it is likely that practice will change at transplant units around the world.
-
Public health and research into Ear, Nose and Throat conditions
Associate Professor Paul Paddle is an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon, head and neck surgeon with fellowship training in Laryngology – Voice, airway and Swallowing disorders. Working at Monash Health and Monash Children’s hospital, Paul has extensive experience managing a wide range of paediatric ENT conditions, from neonates to adolescents. He is also an active researcher in paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea and sleep disorders.
-
CASE STUDY High blood pressure and shorter sleep may worsen brain decline
People with high blood pressure who also lack sleep may be at increased risk of reduced cognitive performance and greater brain injury, Monash University research has found.
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers assessed whether the combined effect of hypertension and short sleep duration had a negative impact on brain health.
-
Healthcare associated infection prevention
Professor Philip Russo is an internationally regarded expert in healthcare associated infection prevention, and led the recently completed the Australian National Healthcare Associated Infection Point Prevalence Survey, the first in Australia for 34 years. He is also Past President of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC), the peak body for Infection Prevention and Control professionals in the Australasian region.
