American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation
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Case Reports
Laparoscopic gastric banding surgery performed in obese dialysis patients prior to kidney transplantation.
Obese patients with end-stage renal disease who receive a kidney transplant experience greater rates of posttransplantation diabetes, delayed graft function, and local wound complications. Many centers exclude obese patients from transplantation programs. ⋯ We report 3 patients who underwent laparoscopically adjustable gastric banding, which enabled sufficient weight loss to gain eligibility for kidney transplantation. All these patients subsequently underwent successful uncomplicated kidney transplantations.
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High doses of human recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO) to achieve hemoglobin levels greater than 13 g/dL in patients with chronic kidney disease appear to be associated with increased mortality. ⋯ Iron depletion and associated relative thrombocytosis might contribute to increased mortality when administering high rHuEPO doses to achieve hemoglobin levels of 13 g/dL or greater in long-term hemodialysis patients. Randomized trials are needed to test these observational associations.