Key points from today’s guests:
Joey Sughroue, kidney recipient, Audrey’s husband
- Joey suffers from a genetic condition called Alport Syndrome, which allows blood and protein into the urine causing gradual scarring of the kidneys and eventual kidney failure.
- Thanks to his wife Audrey, he is getting a new kidney.
- Audrey was not a match for Joey, but she still worked on finding a kidney.
Audrey Storm, kidney donor, Joey’s wife
- Audrey was a kidney donor match with another patient and as part of a “kidney swap”, Joey was able to get a kidney from another donor.
- Officially, it is called a kidney paired exchange program.
- Audrey took a little longer to recover, but as a donor, that is typical.
- Both are doing great now and are able to plan for normal activities like travel.
Dr. Mallika Gupta, nephrologist, The University of Kansas Health System
- In general terms, Joey’s condition means the kidney is not able to function so well and there is some leakage of protein and blood in the urine. There is a risk of progression where patients may need dialysis or a transplant.
- The kidney swap works like this: if there are more than one or more pair of donor and recipient who aren't match for each other, we run algorithms and see if we can match them between each other and that's how it can help more than one person.
- It all starts with the recipient coming through our program and getting evaluated for a kidney transplant and once the recipient is approved that they will benefit from a kidney transplant, they get listed and that's how the donor process starts.
- Whichever potential donors are known to the recipient, they call us and get evaluated. It results in a series of testing for the donors.
- Once everything is matched and all the blood tests are run, then we plan on the elective day of surgery. During the morning, it's pre op and then anesthesia and then surgery and then post op and come back to the floor that takes around a day or so. The whole thing and then usually hospital stay requires three days for the recipient two to three days for the donor.
- Ideal donors are healthy donors – non-smoker, non-diabetic. If you are healthy and have two kidneys, it's safe to donate a kidney.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, infection prevention & control, The University of Kansas Health System
- COVID surveillance around the world has decreased but there still are surveillance mechanisms.
- This new variant (BA.2.86) is worth monitoring and it has been spotted in four countries.
- We’ll continue to see new variants – that is nothing new.
- Right now the Eris 85 variant still continues to be the more dominant variant in the United States and around the world.
- It’s good to continue to have those surveillance mechanisms.
Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 8 a.m. CT is the next Open Mics with Dr. Stites. We all know about COVID, but there are other infectious diseases that keep the specialists awake at night. Dr. Dana Hawkinson shares what he's watching worldwide and here at home to keep us safe along with the other health care professionals working together to guard against the next pandemic.
ATTENTION MEDIA: Please note access is with Microsoft Teams:
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 235 659 792 451
Passcode: 6CSfGE
Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 913-318-8863,566341546# United States, Kansas City
TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI
Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital
YouTube.com/kuhospital
Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.