Native kidney BK virus nephropathy associated with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

BK virus nephropathy (BKVN) is a well-recognized complication of renal transplantation. Several cases of native kidney BKVN following other solid organ or bone marrow transplants have been reported. We describe a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who presented with deteriorating renal function with no history of solid organ or bone marrow transplantation.

Acute Kidney Injury: It's as easy as ABCDE.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common, serious problem which has been found to be poorly managed. Early recognition and action is critical in potentially slowing or reversing its course and facilitating timely referral to specialist services. In this quality improvement project, multidisciplinary education sessions and a simple 'ABCDE' checklist to aid AKI management were introduced in a district general hospital.

The uptake of cervical cancer screening by renal transplant recipients.

Background: Renal transplant recipients are at an increased risk of developing cervical cancer compared to women in the general population. At least annual cervical smear screening is currently recommended, but little information is available regarding the actual uptake of such screening.

Methods: All female renal transplant recipients in one United Kingdom region who were alive with a functioning graft were identified.

Progressively increasing operative risk among patients referred for coronary artery bypass surgery.

Objective: Advances in surgical, anaesthetic and percutaneous interventional techniques may have led to higher risk patients being referred for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The purpose of this study was to compare the predicted mortality risk (EuroSCORE) of a contemporary cohort of patients referred for isolated elective CABG (2002) with that of a cohort referred five years previously (1997) and to examine temporal trends in patient demographics.

Methods: Records (n=2873) of weekly cardiac surgical referral meetings were examined and the age, sex, type of operation and surgical decision for every patient referred from 1997 to 2002 inclusive were recorded.