Tag: robotic kidney surgery

World Blood Donor Day – 2015

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” If you’re a blood donor, you’re a hero to someone, somewhere, who received your gracious gift of life. ”

June 2015 — “Thank you for saving my life”. It focuses on thanking blood donors who save lives every day through their blood donations and strongly encourages more people all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and regularly with the slogan “Give freely, give often. Blood donation matters.” The campaign aims to highlight stories from people whose lives have been saved through blood donation, as a way of motivating regular blood donors to continue giving blood and people in good health who have never given blood to begin doing so.

Robotic Surgery in India – MPUH-CRS

Source: WHO

Robotic Surgery is the Best Option for Kidney Treatment

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21st century has seen a boom in the medical industry with several new technologies being invented to treat complicated diseases. Da Vinci robot assisted surgery being one of them. This type of surgery has proved advantageous for both surgeons and patients for the treatment of numerous complicated diseases, including kidney related surgeries.

Kidneys play an important role in the functioning of human body system. We all know that they are two small bean-shaped organs located behind the abdomen and above the waist. Its main role is in processing blood, regulating blood pressure, maintaining calcium levels, and removing wastes, toxic substances, and excess fluids from the body. Kidney related disorders include:

• Bladder Problems
• Ureter Blockage
• Kidney Cancer and
• Kidney stones

In case when both the kidneys get damaged, “kidney transplantation” takes place.

With the help of robotic surgery the doctors are able to conduct operation with much precision that was never before possible earlier. The Da Vinci Surgical System is the state-of-the-art technology helping doctors to provide several benefits concerning kidney surgery, including less complication during operation, controlling of kidney cancer, less pain & scarring, relatively low blood loss, low risk of infection, faster recovery, and comparatively less expense because stay in hospital is much shorter.

The pencil-thin four arms of robot holing camera in one hand and surgical instruments in other three are able to operate through a patient’s body in such a precise manner compared to traditional open surgery that it is helping surgeons to gain expertise in kidney or kind of urological surgeries like never before. Though the robot is performing the operation but actually it’s the surgeon who is in total control of the machine. Sitting behind the console, the surgeon provides instruction to the robot to move its arms for conducting the operation and its every move is monitored thoroughly. A well trained person is required to provide instructions to the robot but overall the Da Vinci assisted Robotic Surgery has made the operation of complicated diseases much easier.

So it’s advisable that if a patient is suffering from a complex kidney ailment then he/she should opt for Robotic Surgery, as this will help them to return back to the day-to-day activities of their life in a faster manner.

Symptoms of Kidney Failure

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People suffering from Chronic Kidney Diseases suffer from a very subtle symptoms which often go unnoticed. The time period between Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Kidney failure is undetermined. It may take years and also may happen soon, depending on case-to-case basis. Kidney failures can be determined with early stage symptoms which are necessary to be identified. Let us discuss the symptoms of kidney failures:

• The beginning is often asymptomatic which means there would be a very less amount of visible symptoms but as the disease advances the kidneys would be unable to regulate water, balance the electrolytes, remove the waste from the body, and produce red blood cells. Such a person would often undergo Lethargic behavior, uneasiness, weakness, short of breath, and general swelling.

• The body would be unable to manufacture bicarbonate due to which the body acidity increases. It is known as metabolic acidosis. Such body dysfunction would alter the enzyme and oxygen metabolism which would end with an organ failure.

• Kidney would not be able to excrete the potassium from the body thereby increasing its level in the serum and it causes fatal heart rhythm disturbance.

• Urea level rises in the blood and it affects various body organs like brain, heart, muscles and would also be responsible for low calcium levels in the body.

• Weakness may be due to anemia but in certain cases the red blood cell counts starts decreasing due to the lower level of erythropoietin which is caused due to the kidney failure. It reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood and hence the body gets tired very soon.

• Loss of appetite and fatigue becomes regular and if it continues, it may affect the mental balance which may end up in comma.
• Rising blood pressure due to excess of fluid present in the body is another symptom for kidney failure and the fluid may start to deposit on lungs which ends with heart failure.

The symptoms of kidney failure would vary a lot depending on patient to patient and also it depends on what kind of treatment you undergo.

Test required to diagnose the Kidney Failure

• Kidney failures can be diagnosed with blood test. The buildup of waste product would determine the kidney failures. BUN, GFR, and Creatinine are essential factors to determine the condition of kidneys. When the BUN and Creatinine level rises up in the blood and the GFR level decreases, the kidney failure is confirmed. The above mentioned three factors determines the rate with which the blood is filtered through the kidneys. The rate would always differ depending on the age, gender, and race of the person.

• Urine can be used to determine the Kidney failure. With a urine test, the doctor would measure the amount of protein and the presence of abnormal cells in it. If protein is found in the urine, it points towards something abnormal in the body. Abnormally aggregated red and white blood cells in the kidney denotes the presence of Kidney Disease.

• Abdominal Ultrasound test can determine the size of the kidney. If any obstruction is seen in he reports, it denotes presence of Kidney Disease.

Robotic Nephrectomy – Advancement in Laparoscopic Surgery

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Kidneys are the essential part of human body which helps to purify the blood. It extracts the wastes from the blood and acts as a natural filter, the wastes are diverted to the urinary bladder and the purified blood is diverted towards heart. Bean shaped kidneys are located on each side of lower back of human body. The left kidney is slightly larger than the right one.

Kidney cancer is somewhat more common in men and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 70 years. The reason of kidney cancer is unidentified, although it may be connected to numerous risk factors such as smoking, obesity, workplace exposure to chemicals, high blood pressure. Every year, kidney cancer is analyzed about 190,000 people worldwide.

It is important to realize that robotic surgery in Indiawith early diagnosis and treatment, kidney cancer can be cured. In fact, the survival rate ranges from 79 to 100 percent. Treatment of maximum kidney cancers starts with exclusion of the primary tumor in an operation called a nephrectomy. The main reason of surgery is to remove the primary tumor and complex tissue in the kidney. Even if cancer has already circulate, a nephrectomy might still be helpful because the body then have fewer cancerous cells to fight through treatments that doctors prescribed after surgery.

Kidney Cancer does not have an early symptom but now before consulting the doctor one can observe the symptoms of cancer by his own.

Followings are possible symptoms:
• Blood in urine
• Lump in your abdomen or side
• Unexplained weight loss
• Pain in your side that doesn’t go away
• Loss of appetite
• Extreme fatigue
• Anemia

Kidney cancer that propagates to other parts of our body may create other symptoms, like:
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing up blood
• Bone pain

Some of the Causes & Risk Factors for Kidney Cancer are as follows.

Investigators have found numerous risk factors that make you more likely to grow kidney cancer. The following are some of the risk factors for developing kidney cancer:
• Smoking
• Hypertension
• Having certain hereditary conditions, such as von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease or inherited papillary renal cell carcinoma.
• Obesity
• Family history of kidney cancer
• Chronic kidney dialysis and/or failure
• Tuberous sclerosis (common genetic condition that produces growths in the body from birth throughout adulthood)
• Using certain pain medications for a long time.

Some of the basic Treatments for the Kidney Cancer are as follows:
• The primary treatment option for kidney cancer is to remove all or part of the kidney and the tumor.
• In many cases, there is a possibility that only some part of the kidney is affected, hence removal of cancerous part serves the purpose. Such type of surgery is called Partial Nephrectomy.
• Kidney cancer that persists and propagate to other parts of the body might not be treatable, but may be controlled with treatment
• Kidney cancer does not respond well to radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

It is advisable for patients to consult a doctor first and then decide the treatment, since treatment is dependent upon patient’s characteristics. Information provided over here is for the reference purpose only.

Why to choose Robotic Surgery:
Kidney treatment is possible by Open Surgery or Laparoscopic surgery. In open surgery, the doctors make a big scar and then perform the operation. This result in heavy blood loss and more complications.

The preferable way to open surgery is laparoscopic surgery, where tiny cuts are made by the surgeons. This surgery provides faster recovery and comparatively less complications.

The advancement to laparoscopic surgery is Robotic Kidney Surgery, where similar number of cuts is made. But in this surgery, the surgeon sits at one end and operates the robots. The robotic hands can move 360 degree and the High Definition camera provides 3D view. This helps surgeon to analyze the depth and helps him to make surgery easier.

The benefits of Robotic Kidney Surgery are:
• Excellent clinical outcomes and cancer control
• Quicker return to normal activity
• Shorter hospitalization – most go home the next day
• Less scarring than traditional open surgery
• Less blood loss
• Reduced pain – most patients don’t even need narcotics after surgery
• Fewer complications and less risk of infection
• Excellent chance of preserving the kidney, in certain operations

For more information you can visit: About Robotic Kidney Surgery

Kidney Diseases Awareness Walkathon being organized at Nadiad by MPUH – CRS

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Kidney disease is a vital Pandemic; worldwide. World Kidney Day’s (WKD) goal is to raise awareness of the importance of the kidneys to the global health of the population and to diminish the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its linked health problems worldwide. World Kidney Day celebration started in 2006 jointly by International Society of Nephrology and International Federation of Kidney foundations. WKD is celebrated on 2nd Thursday of March every year all over the world. This year’s slogan is Kidneys for life; Stop Acute Kidney Injury, which attentions on the empathetic the causes, prevention and treatment of Acute Kidney Injury.

 

As a part of this programme Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital – Centre For Robotic Surgery has organised a “Walkathon” in Nadiad on Sunday 10th March 2013. On the occasion of World Kidney Day 2013, within a short period of 48 hours, more than 400 people had registered their names with MPUH -CRS Nadiad, expressing their desire to be ‘Cadaver Kidney Donors’ in case of accidental brain death.

Objectives of World Kidney Day:

  • Raise awareness about our “amazing kidneys”: Their main role is to uphold the balance of bodily liquids by filtering and concealing metabolites and minerals from the blood and defecating them, along with water, as urine. The kidneys control blood brook levels of many minerals and molecules including sodium and potassium, and help to control blood acidity. Helps to control the Blood pressure. They strengthen the bone and increase the Haemoglobin content in the blood.
  • Highlight that diabetes and high blood pressure are key risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Inspire systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD: India is the capital of Diabetes. Type 2 (adult onset) is most common and10 to 40 percent of those finally will suffer from kidney failure: the most solemn trouble of the disease. The initial sign of diabetic kidney disease is an increased elimination of albumin in the urine. This is present extended before the usual tests done in the doctor’s office show a loss of kidney function. So it is essential to have this test on a yearly basis. Preserving control of the diabetes can lower the risk of developing both kidney failure and cardiovascular events (heart attack, strokes).
  • High blood pressure can autonomously cause CKD, and CKD can cause high blood pressure. The treatment of high blood pressure has become the most important involvement in the management of all forms of CKD. Lowering blood pressure will reduce the risk of heart disease, which for most patients with CKD, is a more immediate risk than end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It will also decrease the chance of developing ESRD requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation.
  • Encourage defensive behaviors: Reduce salt intake; plenty of fluids, Stop smoking, Regular exercise.
  • Educate all medical professionals about their important role in identifying and reducing the risk of CKD, particularly in high risk populations
  • Severe Kidney Injury: Severe Kidney Injury is a condition in which there is an unexpected drop in the function of the kidneys over hours or days with the retaining of nitrogenous waste products- it can affect anyone. In the growing world where children and young adults are at special risk for AKI because it occurs frequently as the result of gastroenteritis, poisonings, malaria or other infectious diseases. Victims of crush wounds in natural disasters such as earthquakes often die of AKI. Many cases of AKI can be prohibited simply by humanizing the community, and local and regional health care physicians about prevention and early warning signs requiring immediate intervention. It can be difficult to identify and is dangerous
  • AKI can develop in the hospital settings: approximately estimated 5% to 20% of critically ill patients (patients in the intensive care unit) experience an episode of AKI during the course of their illness. Development of AKI in the ICU has a negative impact on outcomes of any illness and also increases the death rate. To this end, greater awareness of AKI amongst the general physician and health care profession is needed. There are also important opportunities for prevention, especially by careful attention to prescription medicines management in elderly people.
  • It is estimated that AKI could be reversible in approximately 50% of the cases with early diagnosis. Awareness is low and World Kidney Day is our opportunity to change this.

Kidneys play a vital role in keeping us alive and well. World Kidney Day spreads the word that kidney disease is common, harmful & treatable: Early diagnosis and treatment improves the outcome. Kidney diseases are silent killers, which will largely affect your quality of life. There are however several easy ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.

  1. Keep regular control of your blood sugar level
  2. Monitor your blood pressure
  3. Maintain a healthy fluid intake
  4. Eat healthy and keep your weight in check
  5. Keeping fit and active
  6. Do not smoke
  7. Do not take over-the-counter pills on a regular basis
  8. Check your kidney function if you have one or more of the ‘high risk’ factors.

Kidneys for Life; Stop Acute Kidney Surgery – World Kidney Day

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Kidneys play a vital role in keeping us alive and well. World Kidney Day spreads the word that kidney disease is common, harmful & treatable: Early diagnosis and treatment improves the outcome. Kidney diseases are silent killers, which will largely affect your quality of life. There are however several easy ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.

 

best kidney doctor in indiaWe summarize the tips here:

  1. Have your blood pressure checked regularly.
  2. Take steps to control your blood pressure. The easiest way to maintain a normal blood pressure is by lowering the amount of salt (sometimes called sodium) by not eating high-salt foods or adding salt to foods and by not becoming overweight. Check with a dietitian to create a diet that lets you eat foods you love without hurting your health.
  3. Keep your weight within the desirable range. Reduce the weight if you are overweight or obese.
  4. Tell your doctor if your family has a history of high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease
  5. Stay alert for changes in your urine. If you have cloudy, smelly, foamy, cola colored or bloody urine or if it hurts when you urinate, see a doctor.
  6. Watch for symptoms of anemia. If you are constantly tired, too pale, become short of breath easily or suffer from dizziness you might be anaemic.
  7. Have a yearly urine and blood test along with a physical examination if you are in a high risk group for CKD (Diabetic, hypertensive, family history).
  8. Stay active. Regular exercise will help keep your body functioning normally.
  9. Drink enough water.

Expert tips for reducing your risk of kidney disease.

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WHY ARE KIDNEYS IMPORTANT ?

Your Kidneys are responsible for five critical body functions

  1. Keeps the blood clean through filtration of the waste products and elimination of excessive fluids from the body in the form of urine
  2. Maintains proper balance of fluid in the body
  3. Secretes a hormone called Erythropoietin, responsible for stimulating the production of RBC (Red Blood Cells) in the Bone Marrow
  4. Produces an Enzyme called Renin, which helps maintain the body Blood Pressure
  5. Converts Vitamin D to its most active form

EFFECTS OF MODERN LIFESTYLE ON KIDNEYS
There is a general notion that all Kidney Diseases are rare and untreatable. This is far from the truth and with the progress in Science and Technology, most of the noted diseases can now be treated but modern lifestyle of a majority of people still negatively impacts people’s health which includes damage to the Kidneys. It is therefore important for everyone to be responsible and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
For Kidneys especially, bigger the load, faster they deteriorate. In this article, we focus on some simple but effective ways that can help a person minimize the stress on their Kidneys.
First of all let us look at some factors that puts considerable stress on Kidneys,

PRIMARY RISK FOR KIDNEY DISEASES

  • High Diabetes,
  • High Blood Pressure,
  • Genetic,

SECONDARY RISK FOR KIDNEY DISEASES

  • Heart Disease
  • Obesity;
  • Autoimmune Diseases;
  • Urinary Tract Infections
  • and Systemic Infections

STAGES OF KIDNEY DAMAGE

Stage 1: Slight Kidney damage
Stage 2: Mild decrease in Kidney function
Stage 3: Moderate decrease in Kidney function
Stage 4: Severe decrease in Kidney function
Stage 5: End-stage Renal Disease

TIPS FOR HEALTHY KIDNEY

Be active and eat healthy: Weight control is an important factor to control the Kidney Disease. A healthy routine and active lifestyle helps control the weight. Several studies indicate that Kidney malfunctions and Obesity are inter-related and an overweight person has double the chances of developing Kidney problems. Regular exercising with proper diet not only keeps a person fit, but also act as a preventive measure against Kidney disease.

Control BP and Diabetes: Cases of Kidney diseases as a secondary illness are getting more and more evident, especially with the people suffering from Diabetes and Hypertension. Such people should be extra careful regarding their health and take steps to control their blood sugar level to keep the Kidney disease at bay.

Reduce the salt intake: Excessive salt in the diet effects the body blood pressure. An increased blood pressure would put excessive amount of strain on Kidneys resulting in various Kidney disease. Hence once should control the excessive amount of salt intake in the body.

Smoking and Tobacco: Chewing Tobacco deteriorates the Kidneys. People who smoke a lot have higher chances of Heart Diseases. Both the factors combined to contribute towards harming the Kidneys. A Tobacco users and smokers should cut down the intake and slowly quite the practice.

Regular Screenings: There is a need to encourage patients suffering from Diabetes and Hypertension to undergo a systematic CKD screenings at regular intervals. People with Diabetes and high Blood Pressure have high risk of developing a CKD. Get your Kidneys screened regularly and know the disease in early stages.

An Introduction to Kidney Stones

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Kidney Stone and Kidney Stone Surgery

At times a small Calcium Crystal Stone forms inside the part of the Kidney where the Urine is collected. The stones cause pain while urinating. The problem increases when Calcium Crystal Stones falls into the Ureter, a tube that drains the fluid from the Kidneys in to the bladder. There the stones prevent Urine from coming out of the Kidneys and causes severe pain.kidney stone surgery

Kidney removes waste from the body and filters the Blood to make Urine. The same Urine flows from the kidney into the bladder through the Ureter, a thin tube that connects the two. The Bladder empties through the Urethra, a tube much wider than the Ureter.

Urine from the Kidney excrete a variety of minerals and chemicals, when sometimes these minerals and chemicals combine to form stones. With the passage of time, the stones grow in size, sometimes almost an inch in diameter or even larger.

How are they formed?

The reason isn’t exactly known, but usually changes in the acid-base balance (pH) of the urine and the concentration of minerals and chemicals within the urine are all factors that can signify the formation of a stone. Concentrated urine often occurs during an episode of dehydration, setting the stage for the beginning of stone formation. The consequences of that stone, when it is large enough to cause an obstruction, may occur weeks, months, or years later.

Risks Involved

A Kidney stone can infect the Kidney with Pyelonephritis, an inflammation of the renal parenchyma, calyces, and pelvis that is commonly caused by bacterial infection that can spread to the urinary tract or travel through the bloodstream to the kidneys.

When kidney stones pass from the urine collection system into the ureter, they can act like a dam preventing easy flow of urine from the kidney into the bladder. This causes urine to back up, increasing pressure and swelling within the kidney.

Pain in the process

Pain from the Kidney and as the stone passes through the Ureter, the pain increases. Kidney Pain is also known as renal colic Stone can be excruciating and its intensity is similar to that of pain experienced during a child birth. The pain starts from the lower back and radiates to the front of abdomen and in males, it may cause testicular or scrotal pain. It makes the individual totally uncomfortable. Kidney Stone has side effects like Nausea, Vomiting and Sweating.

If not treated the intense pain would be continuous and the pain would considerably increase. Once the stone is in the Bladder, the obstruction is relieved.

Passing of the stone

Since a Urethra is much larger in size than the Ureter, passing of the stone is an easy thing. It passes easily while Urinating and most patients cannot tell when they have eliminated the stone from their bladder.

The severity of the pain does not depend on the size of the stone, but it rather depends on the amount of obstruction and Kidney swelling. Many a times, when Kidney stone passes through the urine’s, a small amount of blood is visible.

Next Article:

In next article we will understand the symptoms and kidney stone surgery.

Kidney Disease: Myths vs. Facts

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kidney cancer surgery

Many people receive a lot of misinformation related to kidney functionality and kidney diseases, and are therefore, not suitably aware of how this disease affects our lives. In this post we compare some of the most common myths surrounding kidney diseases and the actual facts about them.

# 1

Myth: Kidney disease is rare.

Fact: Kidney disease affects millions across the globe every year, and is quite common. Almost 10% of the world’s population suffers from Chronic Kidney Disease.

# 2

Myth: Kidney disease tests are expensive and cumbersome.

Fact: The diagnostic tests required to determine kidney disease are very simple and painless. One is a simple urine test which checks for protein in the urine, while the other is a blood test which checks for GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate). Both are pretty affordable and accurate.

# 3

Myth: If there are no obvious discomforts like difficulty in passing urine, it means the kidneys are fine.

Fact: Kidney diseases don’t present any symptoms until they have progressed to very advanced stages. And hence, the lack of any external symptoms is no guarantee that a person doesn’t have a kidney disease; it should be thoroughly ruled out by conducting appropriate medical tests.

# 4

Myth: Kidney disease cannot be prevented for at-risk groups.

Fact: At-risk groups include those with high blood pressure, diabetes, family history of kidney failure, over 60 years of age, and people of Asian, Hispanic, American Indian, Pacific Islander and African-American ethnicities. However, not everyone who falls into these risk groups will develop a kidney disease. By following a healthy lifestyle including balanced diet, regular exercise to maintain weight, controlled blood pressure and blood sugar, and by quitting smoking, among other things, the kidneys can be kept healthy thereby reducing your chances of getting kidney disease.

# 5

Myth: Dialysis is the only treatment for kidney disease.

Fact: Dialysis is required by only those patients whose kidney disease has progressed to advanced stages or those who have kidney failure. Otherwise those patients whose disease is diagnosed in early stages usually require only diet modification, exercise and medication.

# 6

Myth: Dialysis is a painful and exhaustive process which restricts the patient from working or travelling.

Fact: The dialysis process by itself is painless, and generally the only discomfort caused is by the needles which are inserted in the graft or fistula. Certain patients may experience headaches, cramps, nausea, etc. but this can be avoided by taking proper diet and fluid restrictions. Also, the patients undergoing dialysis feel sufficiently fine to work or travel if they take proper care of themselves and follow the doctor’s advice correctly.

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