Blood Pressure Cuff Could Help Improve The Success Of Kidney Transplants

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Article Date: 26 Jun 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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The first clinical trial funded by the new Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme will investigate whether a simple procedure to activate one of the body's natural defence mechanisms improves the function of kidneys after transplantation. This research is funded by the Medical Research Council and managed by the National Institute for Health Research.

A team of investigators, from six kidney transplant centres in the UK and one in Holland, will be led by Raymond MacAllister, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at UCL (University College London).

The £800,000 clinical trial will recruit 400 patients requiring kidney transplantation over a three year period. In transplantation, the blood supply to the kidney is interrupted during surgery and the damage that results can limit the life-span and functioning of the transplanted kidney. The trial will examine whether activating a natural protective reflex know as Remote Ischaemic Pre-Conditioning (RIPC), which makes organs resistant to injury that occurs when their blood supply is reduced, has an effect on the outcome of transplantation. RIPC is stimulated by reducing blood flow to the arm of both the kidney donor and recipient for short periods (using a blood pressure cuff). If RIPC protects the kidney, then the transplant should work more effectively and last longer.

Professor MacAllister comments that "kidney transplantation transforms the lives of patients with kidney failure. However, there is a growing shortage of kidneys for transplantation and the number of patients on the transplant list is steadily increasing. The RIPC procedure is simple, safe, easily implemented and inexpensive; should this trial confirm that it improves kidney function, this innovation will be a major benefit to kidney transplant recipients. Maximising the functionality and life-span of the transplanted kidney will optimise the use of this scarce resource, and therefore increase the number of patients who can receive a transplant."

Professor Rajesh Thakker, Chairman of the EME Board said "this exciting project is the first to be funded by the newly established EME programme. This simple intervention could increase survival rates for patients needing kidneys and may impact across other types of transplantation as well".

To view the full project details visit http://www.eme.ac.uk

Source
Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation