Increase in nephrology advanced trainee numbers in Australia and associated reduction in clinical exposure over the past decade.

BACKGROUND: Advanced training in nephrology should provide broad experience in all aspects of nephrology. In Australia, the Specialist Advisory Committee in Nephrology oversees nephrology training, and recent increases in advanced trainee numbers have led to concern about dilution of training experience. No study has examined variations in clinical exposure for nephrology trainees in Australia. AIM: To assess the changes in nephrology advanced training in Australia with respect to trainee numbers and exposure to patients and procedures over the past 10 years. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed by obtaining all available Royal Australasian College of Physician supervisor reports from 2000 to 2010 to determine differences in clinical exposure and procedures performed by nephrology trainees. RESULTS: Five hundred and forty-two reports were reviewed involving 208 nephrology trainees in Australia across 53 different training sites. In 2000, 22 trainees were undertaking a core clinical year of training. Trainee numbers have steadily risen from 33 in 2004 to 84 in 2010. The greatest increases have occurred in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland (sixfold, threefold and fivefold increases respectively). Trainee exposure to dialysis patients has gradually decreased in the past decade. The average number per trainee per year in 2000 compared with 2010 were 66 versus 43 (P = 0.02) and 28 versus 16 (P = 0.01) for haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis respectively. Acute kidney injury cases per trainee showed a gradual nonsignificant reduction over time and average procedural numbers per trainee decreased significantly from 2000 to 2010 with fewer temporary dialysis catheters inserted per year (39 vs 10, P < 0.01) and fewer renal biopsies performed per year (65 vs 41, P < 0.01). The proportion of trainees working in a hospital that does not provide exposure to acute transplantation has steadily increased from 15% in 2003 to 44% in 2010. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a dramatic and significant increase in nephrology advanced trainee numbers over the past decade at a more rapid rate than the growth in dialysis and transplant patient numbers. This study suggests that training experience has diminished over the past decade and supports a 3-year core clinical nephrology training programme in Australia.

Excellent long-term graft survival in low risk, primary renal allografts treated with prednisolone-avoidance immunosuppression.

Primary avoidance of oral corticosteroids for renal transplant recipients is uncommon. The South Australian renal transplant service used a double therapy (DT) regimen of cyclosporin and azathioprine from August 1986 to July 1996 for low risk (first graft, PRA < 50%) allografts. Oral corticosteroid, prednisolone (P), was reserved for severe rejection or two mild rejection episodes, but could be later withdrawn at the physician's discretion. This regimen is associated with more early acute rejection (Russ et al., Clin Transplant 1990: 4: 26). We have now analysed long-term patient survival (PS) and graft survival (GS) for this group. Of 448 transplants in South Australia between August 1986 and July 1996, 295 commenced DT regimen. Ninety-four (31.8%) never received P at any stage post-transplantation (group 1), 96 (32.5%) were placed on P and later weaned (group 2), and 97 (33%) remained on long-term P (group 3). Technical losses, eight (2.7%), within 30 d of transplantation, were excluded from sub-group analysis. PS for the total DT cohort at 1, 5 and 9 yr post-transplantation was 97, 88 and 74%, respectively. GS over the same time period was 88, 75 and 55%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in survival compared to other 'low risk' grafts in the rest of Australia during the same time period. Mean serum creatinine concentration (CrC) for the DT group at 3 and 6 months and 1, 3, 5 and 10 yr was not significantly different to the rest of the Australian 'low risk' grafts. In the DT cohort, there were 334 acute rejections ( < 90 d) in 206 patients (70%), but only 42 (12.5%) required anti-lymphocyte antibody therapy (OKT3 or ATG) for rejection. PS at 9 yr was not statistically significantly different between groups 1 and 2, but both groups survived better than group 3 (p < 0.0043). GS for group 1 at 1, 5 and 9 yr post-transplantation was 90, 81 and 73%, respectively; for group 2, 98, 87 and 66%, respectively; and for group 3, 84, 63 and 29%, respectively. Statistical significance was reached in group 1 versus 3 (p < 0.001) and group 2 versus 3 (p < 0.001). In summary, a DT regimen in low risk, first renal allografts gives excellent long-term patient and GS and minimises long-term P, despite a high rate of early acute rejection.

Clozapine-induced acute interstitial nephritis.

Drug hypersensitivity reactions commonly cause acute interstitial nephritis (AIN). Clozapine, a new antipsychotic, can cause fatal bone-marrow toxicity. We report clozapine-induced AIN as another serious adverse drug reaction.