American Society of Transplantation To Highlight Post-Transplantation Care At May 6 Conference

ARLINGTON, Va., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Once a patient has recovered successfully from transplantation surgery, the post-operative medical team must be prepared to continue high-quality care. More than 22,500 organ transplants were performed in the United States last year, creating great demand for education on the care of post-transplant organ recipients. Major issues include infection and other side effects such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and metabolic bone disease. To address this need, the American Society of Transplantation (AST) will host an Eastern Regional Meeting titled, "Long Term Management of the Organ Transplant Recipient" on May 6, 2006, at the Westin Arlington Gateway, Arlington, Virginia. The conference will offer physicians, surgeons, transplant nurses, nurse coordinators, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and allied health and medical professionals valuable information toward their continuing education.

"This Eastern Regional Meeting will cover the complexities of disease issues facing recipients of solid organ transplants, and the major post- transplant issues medical personnel and patients encounter every day," said Roslyn Mannon, MD, chair, AST Education Committee. According to Mannon, "The purpose of this course is to help ensure that all health professionals whose skills and services are integral to a patient's recovery become more familiar with issues regarding good medical care in these highly complex patients. There is increasing recognition that the long-term survival of organ- transplant recipients depends on close attention to a myriad of issues in their medical care such as heart disease and diabetes mellitus."

The Agenda

"Long Term Management of the Organ Transplant Recipient" will include presentations by national and local experts about the post-transplant care, treatment and risk factors for organ recipients. They will discuss topics such as the current status of organ transplantation, critical factors following transplantation, endocrine issues following transplantation, and alterations in immune system function after transplantation. Scheduled presenters include: Anthony Jevnikar, MD, Director of Transplantation Nephrology at London Health Services Centre and a scientist at the Robarts Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute; Christine Chamberlain, PharmD, BCPS of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases; and Matthew R. Weir, MD, University of Maryland Medical Systems.

Single-Day Symposium

Physicians and nurses who attend the conference are eligible to receive continuing education credits. Physicians can earn up to 6.0 category 1 credits toward the American Medical Association's Physician's Recognition Award. Nurses can receive credit for up to 5.2 contact hours by attending this course.

Continuum of Care for the Post-Transplant Patient will be held 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Virginia. A limited number of hotel rooms have been reserved at the Westin Arlington Gateway at a discounted group rate.

Transplantation in the U.S.

Of the approximately 22,000 transplant operations performed in the U.S. last year, nearly 17,000 organs were obtained from deceased donors and more than 5000 were donated by living donors, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing: Organ Donation and Transplantation. Organ transplants save lives, but long-term survival of the patient and the organ grafts requires meticulous care by all of the patient's health care providers. The percentage of patients who survive transplant operations has increased dramatically since the early 1980s as treatment options have improved.

The AST is an organization of transplant professionals dedicated to research, education, advocacy and patient care in transplantation science and medicine. The society comprises more than 2,500 transplant physicians, surgeons, scientists and allied health professionals. For more information or to register for the conference, call (856) 439-9986 or log onto: http://www.a-s-t.org.

CONTACT: Leza Raffel, (215) 884-6499.

American Society of Transplantation

CONTACT: Leza Raffel, +1-215-884-6499, for American Society ofTransplantation

Back to news