September 2009

Transplant innovator receives nurse award

Jamie Rutherford from North West Dialysis Service has won a HESTA Australian Nursing Award.

Mr Rutherford, Nurse Unit Manager in the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s dialysis ward, won the Nursing Innovation of the Year category.

Kidney transplants between donors and recipients with incompatible blood types began in Australia in 2004, giving family and friends new opportunities to help sick loved ones.

The downside for recipients is that plasma has to be replaced for some weeks before and after the transplant to reduce the risk of rejection.

This typically means pre-transplant patients go through three hours of plasma exchange every second day, on top of four hours of dialysis.

Mr Rutherford was recognised for slashing the time patients must spend hooked to equipment by implementing an innovation that combines the two processes.

‘Making dialysis and plasma exchange a tandem process means the patient is not sitting in the chair all day,’ Mr Rutherford said.

‘It’s gone from seven hours to four hours and that means people can get on with life.

‘We are one of the biggest dialysis services in Australia and this innovation means we can operate more efficiently as a unit.

‘We can actually care for more patients within our current facilities and that’s important because we are seeing more transplants.’

Mr Rutherford’s $10,000 prize will help with research and implementation of advanced technology for transplant patients, such as double filtration plasma exchange.

‘At the moment, patients receive donor plasma and there are potential risks and reactions, the same as there are for any blood products,’ Mr Rutherford said.

‘It is possible to actually remove the patient’s plasma, filter it to remove parts that are likely to cause rejection and return the remaining plasma into the patient’s bloodstream.

‘This removes potential side effects and also reduces demand on donated plasma.

‘That’s what I would like to introduce in Australia.’