|
TO ALLEVIATE CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF LIVE KIDNEY DONORS, UROLOGISTS OFFER NEW PROCEDURE
17 January 2001 - Boston University
| In an attempt to alleviate the critical shortage of live kidney donors, urologists at Boston Medical Center now offer a new procedure which makes kidney donation less painful, has a quicker recovery time and has less chance for complications. |
In an attempt to alleviate the critical shortage of live kidney donors, urologists at Boston Medical Center now offer a new procedure which makes kidney donation less painful, has a quicker recovery time and has less chance for complications. Referred to as laparoscopic nephretomy, the procedure involves using minimal access surgery techniques that require only three small incisions to remove the kidney. A standard operation for kidney removal normally produces an incision 8-15 inches long. Because of the severe shortage of cadaver kidneys, those in need of a kidney transplant are more often faced with asking a living relative for a kidney. This becomes very difficult for some people because they don't want to put a loved one through the surgery which normally involves a lengthy hospital stay, convalescence, a painful recovery and the potential for complications. "Using the laparoscopic nephretomy procedure however, reduces length of stay in a hospital by three to five days compared to the standard operation. In addition, laparoscopic nephretomy patients suffer less blood loss, require a fraction of pain medication and have less chance for complications. They can also resume normal activity in days compared to weeks and even return to work sooner," said Gennaro Carpinito, MD, FACS, a urological surgeon at Boston Medical Center. "Using the minimal access alternative compared to the standard opening of the body is a win-win situation from both a quality of life and financial perspective for both the patient and the hospital," added Carpinito. In addition to using the procedure for kidney donations, this same procedure is used for patients with cancerous and non-functioning kidneys.
http://www.bu.edu/
About: Boston University
Boston University has a well-deserved reputation for excellence in research in a wide range of disciplines and a demonstrated commitment to fostering innovative interdisciplinary research. The Office of the Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Education supports the University in facilitating research at the both the student and faculty levels.Our mission is to enhance and encourage research at Boston University and to provide a climate conducive to maintaining the University at the cutting edge of research and scholarly activities. We work with the Boston University community to plan and coordinate interdisciplinary research and represent the University in research matters related to Inter-University consortia. To encourage new, innovative, and cross-disciplinary efforts, this office administers the Special Program for Research Initiation Grants (SPRInG). We showcase graduate research at Science & Technology Day. This annual event features nearly 200 research posters by graduate students from both the Medical and Charles River Campuses working in a wide range of disciplines. Our annual research magazine, Research at Boston University, informs a wide audience about a selection of our significant research findings and ongoing studies at Boston University. We also maintain a strong presence on the web through this site and through the Science Coalition’s website, which brings our research successes to the attention of Congress and other policy makers in the federal government. To assist Boston University researchers, this office oversees the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and coordinates with the Office of Sponsored Programs on the Charles River Campus , the research administration on the Medical Campus, the Office of Research Compliance, and the various graduate programs. For the development of commercially viable ideas, we administer the Provost's Innovation Fund and work closely with the Office of Technology Transfer. We also coordinate proposals where there are institutional limits to the number of proposals that may be submitted, cost sharing requirements, significant laboratory renovations, or other special circumstances. This office assists departments and centers to achieve a diverse faculty and graduate student body through our membership and activities with the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and through our affiliation with the Clare Boothe Luce program of the Henry Luce Foundation. |
More News:
• For January 2001
• From Boston University
• For University
|
