Award-Winning Nephrologist To Discuss Hernias in Dialysis and Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients

HAMILTON, Ontario - May 14, 2014 - PRLog -- When undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD), patients whose cause of kidney failure is polycystic kidney disease (PKD) may be at risk for complications due to enlarged kidneys or liver reducing the volume capacity of the peritoneal cavity. One of these complications is hernias.

"Hernias can be painful," said Shiona Mackenzie-Morrison, Hamilton Chapter Coordinator for the PKD Foundation of Canada. "Although abdominal hernias can be repaired, many patients remain concerned about undergoing continuous peritoneal dialysis if they have experienced a hernia. In her talk at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton on May 25, Dr. Bargman will explain why hernias should not necessarily prevent people from doing PD."

Joanne Bargman MD, FRCPC, is an award winning Nephrologist with the University Health Network (UHN) and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bargman says that, despite the increased risk of hernias in polycystic kidney disease patients, they can do very well on PD.

"This home dialysis method allows the patient greater control over their therapy, and obviates the need to travel to an in-centre dialysis unit several times a week," Dr. Bargman said. "Except in the patients with massively enlarged kidneys, PD is a viable method of renal replacement therapy with a good outcome in PKD patients."

Dr. Bargman is Director of Peritoneal Dialysis for the UHN, and co-director of the Combined Renal-Rheumatology Lupus Clinic for the UHN. She was an exchange fellow in Melbourne for her senior medical residency year, and then pursued nephrology training at Stanford University. Her research focused on renal physiology and micropuncture.

Upon returning to Toronto, she was recruited to the Toronto Western Hospital where she trained in peritoneal dialysis under Dimitrios Oreopoulos. She has given more than 600 invited lectures internationally, on subjects as diverse as peritoneal dialysis, glomerulonephritis, and management of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Dr. Bargman has won the “Silver Shovel”, given by the graduating medical class of the University of Toronto to the best lecturer in the undergraduate years. She has also won the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine Postgraduate Teaching Award, given to the best teacher in the postgraduate program. Recently, she was chosen as the 12th Robert Collins Visiting Lecturer in dialysis at the University of Colorado in Denver. In 2013, she was the recipient of both the Donald Seldin Award for excellence in nephrology at the National Kidney Foundation (US) and the award for teaching excellence from the Canadian Society of Nephrology.

Dr. Bargman is also co-author of the chapter “Chronic Kidney Disease” in the 17^th, 18^th and upcoming 19^th editions of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine.

Hosted by the Hamilton Chapter of the PKD Foundation of Canada, this free public talk starts at 2pm in Classroom B of St. Joe's Juravinski Innovation Tower, 50 Charlton Ave. East, in Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 4A6.

This presentation is part of an ongoing series of 2-hour informational support meetings for chronic kidney disease patients, their families, caregivers and friends. Registration is not required. Free street parking is available and the venue is accessible. For more information about polycystic kidney disease, please see http://endpkd.ca/chapters/hamilton/.