Serum Creatinine and Tacrolimus Assessment With VAMS Finger-Prick Microsampling: A Diagnostic Test Study.

Rationale & Objective: Kidney transplant recipients require frequent venipunctures. Microsampling methods that use a finger-prick draw of capillary blood, like volumetric absorptive microsamplers (VAMS), have the potential to reduce the pain, inconvenience, and volume of blood loss associated with venipuncture. This study aimed to provide diagnostic accuracy using VAMS for measurement of tacrolimus and creatinine compared to gold standard venous blood in adult kidney transplant recipients.

Fingerprick Microsampling Methods Can Replace Venepuncture for Simultaneous Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Tacrolimus, Mycophenolic Acid, and Prednisolone Concentrations in Adult Kidney Transplant Patients.

Background: Kidney transplant patients undergo repeated and frequent venepunctures during allograft management. Microsampling methods that use a fingerprick draw of capillary blood, such as dried blood spots (DBS) and volumetric absorptive microsamplers (VAMS), have the potential to reduce the burden and volume of blood loss with venepuncture.

Methods: This study aimed to examine microsampling approaches for the simultaneous measurement of tacrolimus, mycophenolic acid, mycophenolic acid glucuronide (MPAG), and prednisolone drug concentrations compared with standard venepuncture in adult kidney transplant patients.

Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Considerations in Relation to Calcineurin Usage in Elderly Kidney Transplant Recipients.

This review summarizes how possible age-related changes in tacrolimus and cyclosporine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics may influence drug dosing and monitoring in the elderly, and highlights how micro-sampling may be useful in this cohort in the future. Advancing biological age leads to physiological changes that can affect drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, as well as immune system responsiveness. Some studies have shown that elderly recipients may have higher dose-adjusted exposure and/or lower clearance of the calcineurin inhibitors, suggesting that doses may need to be lowered in elderly recipients.

Kidney transplant recipient's perceptions of blood testing through microsampling and venepuncture.

A survey of kidney transplant recipients receiving two innovative microsampling methods, dried blood spot and volumetric absorptive microsampling using patient reported methodology. A total of 39 adult transplant patients underwent venepuncture and finger prick-based blood draws on two occasions. They completed a survey of blood test understanding, tolerability, preferences and the burden associated with venepuncture compared with microsampling.

T-cell adoptive immunotherapy for BK nephropathy in renal transplantation.

Introduction: BK virus (BKPyV) nephropathy occurs in 1%-10% of kidney transplant recipients, with suboptimal therapeutic options.

Case: A 54-year-old woman received a transplant in March 2017. BKPyV was detected at 1.

Urinary tract infections in renal transplant recipients at a quaternary care centre in Australia.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common of infections after renal transplantation. The consequences of UTIs in this population are serious, with increased morbidity and hospitalisation rates as well as acute allograft dysfunction. UTIs may impair overall graft and patient survival.

Experiences of medical dominance in pharmacist-doctor interactions - An elephant in the room?

Background: The development of new roles by pharmacists supports the delivery of healthcare services but potentially also encroaches into other healthcare professions' domains of practice. Some novel pharmacy services are only reluctantly accepted by the medical profession and are surrounded by a discourse which expresses medical dominance, with pharmacists facing resistance to their closer involvement in patient care.

Objective: To investigate whether and how pharmacists may experience medical dominance in their practice.

The Kidney Supportive Care programme: characteristics of patients referred to a new model of care.

Objectives: For many people with advanced kidney disease, their physical, psychological and emotional needs remain unmet. Kidney supportive care, fully integrating specialist kidney and palliative care teams, responds to the emotional and symptom distress in this cohort who may be on a non-dialysis care pathway or on dialysis and approaching end of life. We aimed to analyse and describe the operation and patient characteristics of a new kidney supportive care programme (KSCp).

Using confidence assessment to explore physiotherapists, dieticians, speech pathologists and occupational therapists knowledge of medicines.

Medicines are the largest single intervention provided to patients on admission to hospital. Adverse effects of medicines may decrease the ability of patients to participate in clinical interventions from physiotherapists, dietitians, speech pathologists and occupational therapists (PDSOs), which in turn impacts on quality of care and length of hospital stay. PDSOs receive medicines education as part of their undergraduate degree but little education once commencing practice.