ALAPPUZHA: A new ward will be allocated to set up Karunya dialysis unit in the Alappuzha General hospital.  A meeting of the Hospital Development Committee (HDC) on Saturday decided to allot the ward to set up 10 dialysis units near the fever ward in the hospital. The state government sanctioned the dialysis unit from the Karunya Benevolent

Fund and the unit will start functioning soon, K C Venugopal MP who presided over the HDC meeting said.

The newly constructed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the hospital will be opened soon.  The ICU was constructed after the renovation of the Cardiology Block of the old Medical College. 12 beds are arranged in the ICU. The meeting accepted the Rs  1.17 crore project prepared by the Nirmithi Kendra for the construction of Outpatient Block.

The MP said that he will demand  the state government to allot funds for the OP Block.  Land will be allotted for a Blood Bank near the ‘C’ operation theatre of the old Medical College. The OP waiting area will be constructed after spending Rs  10 lakh allotted from the MP fund of T N Seema.

A beneficiary committee will be formulated for the management of the construction.  The HDC meeting allowed to set up closed circuit TV and intercom in the casualty.

A new Urology section will be opened after purchasing various equipment worth Rs  6 lakh. The tender for purchasing the equipment was finalised, said officials in the meeting.

An X-ray machine allotted by the Kerala Medical Services Corporation will be installed in the Radiology section. Electrical works for the setting up of the x-ray machine will be completed soon, officials said. A new canteen will also be opened. The HDC members will conduct discussion with Indian Coffee House (ICH) authorities in this regard.

If the ICH authorities are unwilling, the HDC will approach Kudumbasree to open the canteen, the meeting decided. Municipal chairperson Mercy Diana Macedo,  district medical officer Safiya Beevi, hospital superintendent S Sreedevi and ward councillor Haltaf spoke on the occasion.

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Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom on Sunday donated over three Million naira to four patients suffering from kidney failure at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.

Chief Akpabio who paid an unscheduled visit to the Teaching Hospital in the company of some of his aids including the state commissioner for Health Dr. Emem Bassey was met on arrival by the Chief Medical Director of the Teaching Hospital Professor Etete Peters who took the governor round the dialysis department where he gave words of encouragement to the patient who were on life saving machine.

Akpabio who was moved by the plight and the suffering of the patients announced the donations and urged them not to lose hope as reprieve would soon come their way.
‘’God is the giver and taker of life and because he is the ultimate owner of man’s existence we need to pray in supplications to him
I understand that one of you was to celebrate his birthday today but could not do so because he has to come for dialysis. I was greatly touched and I felt I should come here personally and see him’’ the Governor stated.

He commended the Chief Medical Director of the Teaching Hospital professor Peters for providing a condusive environment for all patients seeking medical help at the Hospital and urged him not relent in his onerous task of making the Hospital one of the beat in the country.

The Chief Medical Director thanked the Governor for finding time, out of his tight schedule to see the patients and pleaded with him to assist the Hospital in the on-going expansion programme.

Peters said that being the only Federal Government referral health institution in the state and catering for over four million population most of its facilities has been greatly overstressed.

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By Sarah Stacey for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 19:02 EST, 7 March 2015 | Updated: 19:02 EST, 7 March 2015

'I lost my kidneys, not my lust for life' 

If, like me, you take your kidneys for granted, consider what they do: these two bean-shaped, fist-sized organs found either side of your spine, just below your ribcage, filter and cleanse up to 200 litres of blood every day, expelling waste in one to two litres of urine.

Kidneys are vital to keep your blood clean and its composition stable so your body functions properly. They maintain levels of key electrolytes (eg, sodium, potassium and phosphate), release hormones that help regulate blood pressure, make red blood cells and keep bones strong.

Over two million people in the UK suffer from moderate to severe kidney disease, which can affect any age, and another million are thought to be at risk (see box, right). Around 55,000 patients are treated for end-stage kidney failure each year, mainly via kidney transplant or dialysis, a form of treatment that replicates kidney function. 

Traditionally, dialysis was only possible in hospitals, but modern technology means patients like Maddy Warren, 31, can now treat themselves at home.

Maddy’s kidneys were removed when she was 14. ‘I was completely healthy then, out of the blue, I got some strange symptoms, including extreme tiredness, puffy eyes and I just felt weird.’ (Other symptoms of kidney disease include high blood pressure, swollen ankles, fluid retention and/or lower back pain.)

Blood tests revealed Maddy had developed an autoimmune disease that targeted her kidneys. ‘My antibodies were attacking my kidneys as if they were a foreign body.’ This caused nephrotic syndrome, where the filters in the kidneys become ‘leaky’ and large amounts of protein from the blood leak into the urine.

Despite aggressive treatment, it proved impossible to suppress the immune reaction and in 1998 Maddy’s kidneys were removed and she went on dialysis. ‘The symptoms disappear when you don’t have kidneys and I felt much better on dialysis.’

After she finished school in 2003, Maddy received a kidney transplant from her father. ‘But within 12 hours, the nephrotic syndrome was back attacking my new kidney.’ 

Three months later, having tried all available treatments, Maddy opted to have the kidney removed and go back on home dialysis. ‘I always feel so well on it: unlike traditional hospital dialysis – three to four hours intensively three times a week, which can put a real strain on the body – this gives me a much more consistent and gentle level of treatment, evenly spread over 40 hours a week, and I can do it while I sleep [nocturnal dialysis].’

Ten years on, Maddy feels ‘amazing. I have been able to progress at work [in the human resources department of a global investment bank], I am a fully qualified solo and formation sky-diver [pictured above] and I ride retired racehorses. I have incredibly good health and the time and capacity to do what I want because I can manage my treatment myself.’

The main causes of kidney disease are diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease; however, the signs are difficult to spot, according to Kidney Research UK, which is concerned that up to a million people might have undiagnosed kidney disease (missingmillion.co.uk). 

Kidney damage makes high blood pressure and heart disease worse, which in turn leads to more kidney damage. Kidney Research UK advises patients to discuss the issues with their doctors, and there is a kidney health check on the website. 

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

nosmokingday.org.uk

We all know the reasons to stop and, as a former smoker myself, I can say it is one of the best things I ever did. 

The biggest benefits I found were no cough, I could run for the bus, my hair, skin and clothes didn’t stink, plus I saved a small fortune – and no, I didn’t put on weight. 

This website – for No Smoking Day on Wednesday, a campaign organised by the British Heart Foundation – offers links to local resources and practical help to become a ‘proud quitter’.

BEET THE PRESSURE 

A daily glass of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure in people diagnosed with hypertension, according to new research by the British Heart Foundation. 

Interestingly, the finding even applied to patients whose blood pressure was not successfully controlled by drug treatment. 

The juice used in the study was James White Beet It Organic Juice Beetroot, £2.99 for 750ml, from ocado.com.

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Dialysis Product Lixelle Column Gets FDA Approval

By Donna Balancia | Mar 07, 2015 10:52 AM EST

The Lixelle Column has won approval for use by the Food and Drug Administration.

The dialysis technology component can be used to help in the treatment of a complication of kidney failure and a host of other ailments. 

Column technology is increasingly used in fluid-related medical devices and systems. Companies are targeting sales and distribution in growth areas in medical, corporate and institutional use.  

Kaneka Corp. produces the column, and the approval by the FDA is significant in that the Osaka, Japan-based company is a leader in the development of the technology. Lixelle Column is a membrane-type plasma separator.

An important area of this continued growth is the field of study related to apherisis. There has been a good deal of research done in apheresis, which derives from the Greek version of "to take away."  The technology focuses on separating undesirable agents from bodily fluids and in the bloodstream.

The Lixelle Column system has been used in helping the body eliminate agents that cause inflammation. It has been used in treatment of HIV, arthritis, cholesterol management and ulcerative colitis. Excess cholesterol leads to blockages near and around the heart.

But the FDA approval came based on the research that Kaneka Corp.'s column has proven to be an important part of treating dialysis-related amyloidosis. It works to remove excess of the protein that, in large amounts, leads to DRA. Kaneka  Corp.'s lead product Selesorb.

The absorption column is a growing technology and part of a medical devices sector that has been on the rebound in the last several years. The columns are used in dialysis and other applications, and it is projected that dialysis and related medical technologies will continue to skyrocket as baby boomers hit their elder years.  
There is a dire need for advancements in dialysis as the "boomers" - an active generation that wants to still stay on the move - express frustration that the tech is keeping up.

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