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Episodes of clotting that occurred in 22 patients on regular haemodialysis were studied over a six-month period. The venous pressure during dialysis and the radiology of the Teflon-Silastic arteriovenous shunt were found to be satisfactory guides for the management of the shunt. The failure of the shunt during the early stage was mainly due to technical reasons. Histological study of the excised vessels in removed long-term shunts showed that these had failed because of rigidity and thickening of the vessel wall due to calcium and iron deposits or chronic inflammation, or both. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The detection of lymphoid cells by routine examination of the urine after renal allotransplantation has proved to be a useful early indication of rejection. In a study of 36 rejection episodes, 20 (56%) were associated with a significant number of lymphocytes in the urine. The incidence was much higher when rejection occurred during the first month after operation (76%); lymphocytes were rarely found when rejection occurred after three months. The appearance of lymphocytes in the urine was of particular value for detecting rejection in patients with prolonged oliguria after transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Experiments have been performed upon the absorption of ammonia and hydrazine from different solutions instilled into a human ileal sac with an exteriorized stoma. Ammonia and hydrazine absorption was greater from solutions of higher pH. It is concluded that non-ionic diffusion plays an important role in ammonia absorption from the human ileum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Total white cell, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts were compared in patients with chronic renal failure treated successively by conservative means (low-protein diet), regular haemodialysis, and renal allotransplantation. The lowest total white cell and neutrophil counts and the highest lymphocyte counts were found in patients on regular haemodialysis. A rapid fall in neutrophil count during the first half-hour of dialysis and a more gradual fall between the first and sixth hours were observed. Adherence of neutrophils and mononuclear cells to the cuprophane (PT 150) dialysis membrane has been shown. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two out of four patients who had severe ischaemic E.C.G. changes when first accepted on to the dialysis programme showed much improvement after six months. From an analysis of 40 electrocardiograms (20 before and 20 after dialysis) of a further 17 patients it was found that the height of the T wave is a good index of the plasma potassium level. The tolerance of higher plasma potassium levels by these patients compared with patients with acute renal failure may be explained by the fact that the former do not have a hypercatabolic process and have a lesser degree of acidosis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A 5-megacycle Doppler flow meter, calibrated in-vitro, was found to give a linear response to blood flow in the ranges commonly encountered in haemodialysis. With this, blood flow through artificial kidneys could be measured simply and with a clinically acceptable error. The method is safe, as blood lines do not have to be punctured or disconnected and hence there is no risk of introducing infection. Besides its value as a research tool the flow meter is useful in evaluating new artificial kidneys. Suitably modified it could form the basis of an arterial flow alarm system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]