Student loans…credit card debt…car payments
I can make them all disappear.
In previous years I couldn’t prognosticate on NephMadness because I was contaminated by running the Blue Ribbon Panel. This year I have have no such inside knowledge. I am free and I am going to share the wisdom I have gained by running the previous BRPs to give you can’t-miss-locks.
In previous years there has always been prohibitions from any type of gambling
But in 2018, AJKD forgot to ban gambling. So call your bookie! Mortgage the house! Cash in the kids’ 509 college plan! I’m going to whisper the winners. These darlings are your chance for a better life!
We are going to skip the Satuated Sixteen and go right to the regional champions.
The Effluent 8:
Women’s health
Menopause is the dark horse here. Everyone is going to go with reproductive planning because when a dialysis patient gets pregnant everyone goes crazy. But the issue that affects almost all of our female patients is menopause. This is seriously under-studied and it’s going to cut throught this region like a knife through butter. This is a bracket buster and when it beats reproductive planning on March 31st, #NephTwitter is going to be out for blood. You won’t be crying because your going to pick menopause right now.
Animal House
No bracket busters here. This is going total chalk. Pick Shark like everybody else. Getting cute with camel or toad is just going to make you poor. Shark FTW.
Peritoneal Dialysis
This is going to be a tough call, and I’m worried that the Blue Ribbon Panel could make a mistake here and foolishly go with PD catheter dysfunction but the answer is Volume Issues. Volume Rules.
Trial Outcomes
This one is easy. It is 40% drops in GFR. Nephrologists have been telling people not to perseverate over the creatinine for years. We told them eGFR was a better estimate than any serum creatinine. We have been calculating eGFRs for 20 years. The fact that the FDA is still looking at doubling of creatinine is a travesty. An eGFR based trial outcome is long overdue. 40% loss of eGFR destroys this division to advance to the Elite 8.
Hyponatremia
The US Guidelines are a juggernaut. Ignoring the placebo-controlled trials supporting Vaptans while prescribing your patients urine pills supported by a few observational trials is knocking on homeopathy’s door.
Contrast
NephMadness is innovative but there is no way nine nephrology leaders are going to go on the record and say contrast is not nephrotoxic. This is easy, Contrast is Nephrotoxic cruises to the win here.
Pediatrics
Genes in CAKUT. There are no pediatricians on the BRP. They are going to go full science when faced with this question. Don’t doubt me. This one is a lock.
Transplant
The Untransplantables is going to win this one. Best name. Best science. No contest.
The Filtered Four
Menopause versus Shark
Animal House was fun, but up against Women’s health it will be treated as the gag region that it was meant to be. Menopause walks all over Shark. Sorry.
Volume issues versus 40% drop in eGFR
Redefining the primary outcome of every major CKD study for the next 20 years is going to be unstapable. 40% drop in eGFR FTW!
The US Hyponatremia Guidelines vs Contrast is Nephrotoxic
My crystal ball gets a little cloudy here. Guidelines are a little dull and the BRP may not want to advance them to the Filtered Four, but at the same time, I suspect they will be looking at how thin the data on contrast being actually nephrotoxic and will feel a bit guilty. The US Guidelines advance here.
Genes in CAKUT vs The Untransplantables
No contest. The peds topic is dropped like a dirty diaper. The Untransplantables advance
The Filtered Four
Menopause vs 40% drop in eGFR
This is the year World Kidney Day was devoted to women’s health. Menopause takes that momentum and rolls over Drops in eGFR of 40%.
US Guidelines vs The Untransplantables
The US Guidelines have navigated to the final four by finding a weak stream of competitors. They have no reason to be there. They are The Loyola Ramblers and Sister’s Jean’s run is about to run out. The Untransplantables rips up the guidelines.
The Left and Right Kidney
Menopause versus the The Untransplantables
Everyone loves transplant, and transplant always wins.
Your NephMadness champion will be The Untransplantables.