5 Events diary ART National Meeting & Exhibition 29 - 31 October, Staverton Park, Northamptonshire www. artery. org. uk The Association of Renal Technologists has put together a programme comprising national and international speakers, as well as a workshop for its technical members. Scottish Renal Association Meeting 14 November, Dunfermline www. srr. scot. nhs. uk EDTNA/ ERCA UK Seminar 2008 16 - 17 November, Sheffield www. edtnaerca. org/ pages/ calendar/ An exciting and relevant programme is planned to attract all grades of staff incorporating many topics and including master classes on haemodialysis, perioneal dialysis and transplantation. Intensive Care Society - State of the Art 2008 Meeting 15 - 16 December, London www. ics. ac. uk/ meetings/ meetings. asp Day one will provide a choice of parallel sessions with the clinical practice forum and the research forum. Day two will be dedicated to a series of sessions on topics of relevance to intensive care medicine. International and UK experts will present on a wide range of topics including the circulation in sepsis, new technology for the ICU, the use of blood products, acute pancreatitis and ICS clinical trials. You can visit our online events diary at www. gambro. co. uk or contact 01480 444000 marketing. uk@ gambro. com Here's the latest in our summaries of some of the recently published dialysis- related papers. improvements embodied in the Prismaflexwould make their life easier whilst improving customer care. Finally, the West Midlands Renal Network organised their all- day West Midlands Renal Audit meeting in Walsall. Gambro sponsored the event and our stand provided information and samples of our TipstopTM, Plume ® SP and blunt needles. Contact Ella Izquierdo 01480 444049 ella. izquierdo@ gambro. com The event in Bath closed with a Gala Dinner at the Assembly Rooms Ref: Santoro A et al; Am J Kidney Dis 2008; 52( 3): 507- 18 [ http:// www. ajkd. org/ article/ S0272- 6386( 08) 00888- 3/ abstract] Dialysis effects on vitamin levels investigated Blood levels of water- soluble vitamins and homocysteine were investigated pre- and post- dialysis in 30 prevalent HD patients, half of whom were on a high- flux dialyser. All received multivitamin supplements routinely. The change in blood level during dialysis correlated with the molecular weight, and for all vitamins the change was independent of membrane flux properties. Serum levels of folate and pyridoxal- 5'- phosphate ( PLP) were reduced by approximately 35%, while red blood cell folate levels were stable. Levels of thiamine and riboflavin were only reduced by 5- 10%, and cobalamin was apparently unaffected by dialysis. The only difference seen between high- and low- flux dialysis was in the homocystein reduction level, being 48% in the high- flux dialysis versus 37% in the low- flux group. The authors recommend monitoring of vitamin status in dialysis patients regardless of which membrane type is used. For more information contact Ella Izquierdo on 01480 444049 or ella. izquierdo@ gambro. com Ref: Heinz J et al; Nephrology 2008; 13( 5): 384- 9 [ http:// www3. interscience. wiley. com/ journal/ 120124531/ abstract] The role of sodium level in dialysis fluid The relations between the prescribed dialysis fluid sodium level and interdialytic weight gain and incidence of intradialytic hypotension was evaluated cross- sectionally in 2187 dialysis patients. A 140 mmol/ l sodium level was used for 63% of patients while another 25% were dialysed against 138 mmol/ l sodium. While target dry weight was independent of the fluid sodium level the interdialytic weight gain was higher for patients on higher sodium, especially for the first dialysis of the week. Pre- and post- dialysis blood pressure data were similar between groups, except for a lower pre- dialysis pulse pressure in the low sodium group. Symptomatic hypotension during dialysis occurred more frequently in patients on a higher sodium fluid. The authors consider their findings supportive of using a lower sodium concentration in the dialysis fluid. For more information contact Samantha Ford on 01480 444006or samantha. ford@ gambro. com Ref: Davenport A et al; Int J Artif Organs 2008; 31( 5): 411- 7

Gambro Bursary open to new applications With the next committee meeting in November, now is the time to submit applications to the Gambro Bursary. The Bursary is there to support individuals and organisations for the advancement of renal education and practice. Recent financial awards have been made for a variety of activities, from sponsorship of a British Kidney Patient Association gala dinner for National Transplant Week to travel grants for individuals wishing to attend various conferences and seminars. Renal healthcare professionals who are working in a renal speciality are invited to submit an application for any of the following activities/ projects: • Special initiative project. • Special interest workshop. • Research project. • Travel grant. • Conference attendance. The grants are awarded twice yearly so it is obviously important that you submit an application soon so that it can be considered at November's meeting. Please visit www. gambro. co. uk to download the Bursary rules and application form, or contact Julie Barclay 01480 444045 julie. barclay@ gambro. com Bursary I've always thought that one of the best ways to make service improvements that are truly beneficial to the patient is to ask the opinions of the patients themselves. This is what The NHS Information Centre is doing with the new National Kidney Care Audit. Commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership ( HQIP), the audit focuses on two main areas that will make a big difference to kidney patients: patient transport and vascular access. To gather information on the first of these areas, everyone receiving hospital or satellite based haemodialysis in England is able to take part in the first national patient transport survey. The audit is taking place at about the same time this edition of Highlights is being published, with patients being given a questionnaire at their dialysis session on 15 or 16 October. The questionnaire asks about their experiences of travelling to and from their place of care. I hope similar exercises will be conducted in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland so we can get a full UK picture. Patients will be able to see the benefits of the audit as the results will identify how services can be improved and spread good practice. I expect that with commissioners and providers working together, each local service will draw up their own action plan for improvements in 2009. The audit focuses on transport services because I know how important it is to overall patient experience. This is a great opportunity for patients to get involved, and I hope that everyone will take part. National Kidney Care Audit will lead to improved care for patients Expert view 6 BiCart ® - uninterrupted dialysis Bicart is an essential component of a system designed for ultra pure dialysis fluid to avoid treatment related inflammation. Our range of dry- concentrate cartridges, available in both 720g and 1150g, eliminate the risk of contamination and bacterial growth, meeting all your patients' needs. Gambro understands that many BiCartcartridges run out during treatment which is disruptive and inconvenient to both nurses and the patient. With this in mind, Gambro developed an 1150g cartridge, which is particularly useful where higher flow rates are used, allowing uninterrupted high- flux HD and HDF therapy. Furthermore, we also provide two end caps with our products which can be stored on the hubs located on the top of the cartridges. These caps can then be added at each end of the cartridge when treatment is completed to prevent the continual problem of dripping, reducing waste and potential safety hazards.