John Pickering
Hot off the Lancet – Earthquake at the Hospital - Kidney Punch
Apr 16, 2012 •
Having come down four flights of stairs I stood at the side of the road beside the hospital entrance as the first of the casualties went past on the back of utes and in private cars. The entrance to the Emergency Department of Christchurch Hospital was about 40 m to my right. I was but … Continue reading »
Legends - Kidney Punch
Apr 10, 2012 •
Kidney donors are legends. The following is an extract (used with permission) from the Autumn newsletter of Kidney Health New Zealand (www.kidney.co.nz) The Governor General Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, recently hosted an afternoon tea at Government House in Wellington to recognise living donors and acknowledge the gift they have given. … Continue reading »
The strange tale of high blood pressure and the cattle prod - Kidney Punch
Apr 03, 2012 •
This is a good news story for all with high blood pressure. It may even get you and extra decade or two here on earth. High blood pressure is a killer. It leads to heart attacks, strokes, and, yes, kidney failure. Funnily enough, it is the kidney which regulates blood pressure – more on that … Continue reading »
Getting the users perspective - Kidney Punch
Mar 23, 2012 •
I can’t possibly expect to be able to comment on what it is like to be on dialysis – I’ve only observed the process. To try and understand more I have begun to search out some blogs by those on dialysis. Here are two: The Facts on The big D. is a blog post by … Continue reading »
Hold that Rice, it may be dangerous or perhaps not… - Kidney Punch
Mar 21, 2012 •
“White rice could cause diabetes” The Independent UK “White rice link seen with type II diabetes” Yahoo News “White rice raises T2 diabetes risk” The Telegraph Those were the headlines of the last few days. Of the three posted, one is really wrong, one is sort of OK, one is almost OK and all … Continue reading »
I am a pee scientist - Kidney Punch
Mar 07, 2012 •
I’m often asked “What do you do?” Â In order to avoid those glazed over looks, and in honor of World Kidney Day, I present to you Dr John’s five minute intro to his study of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). What is Acute Kidney Injury and why does it matter? AKI is the very rapid … Continue reading 
Glenn urinates in space - Kidney Punch
Feb 23, 2012 •
Well, it could have been the headline around the world 50 years ago. Â One of my prized possessions is a copy of NASA’s report on the “First United States Manned Orbital Space Flight” which John Glenn flew 50 years ago this week. Â The flight lasted about 5 hours, but that was plenty long enough for … Continue reading 
When doc don’t know - Kidney Punch
Feb 04, 2012 •
I had my 13th general anaesthetic yesterday for the same thing! Â It was, yet another, 50/50 call by the surgeon as to whether this new procedure would work. Â 50/50 calls are not unusual in medicine – to the contrary they are probably the norm. Â Most of us have had the experience of having a doctor … Continue reading 
A brave beginning - Kidney Punch
Jan 24, 2012 •
Food depravation, occupation by fascist overlords, and decades before the invention of PCs and the blog are hardly conducive conditions for research, let alone major breakthroughs.  One man thought not. Willem J Kolff, a physician in Kampden hospital in the Netherlands was perturbed by not being able to do anything for people who went into … Continue reading 
Kidneys are Kool with a capital K - Kidney Punch
Jan 13, 2012 •
The kidney is still very much a black box to me. Â Hence, the box in this mini-infographic (a “minfo”) describing some of the cool stuff our kidneys do. Â As you can tell, it is not just a brilliant filter getting rid of waste products but so much more. Â Dialysis (with the aid of Nephrologists’ potions) … Continue reading 