Publication Spotlight: Dr. Blum
Interview with Matthew Blum, MD, MHS, Nephrologist and Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, author of Extreme Humid-Heat Exposure and Mortality Among Patients Receiving Dialysis.
What question did your study aim to answer?
Our study asked if patients receiving dialysis face an increased risk of death during extreme humid-heat events.
What inspired you to conduct this study?
Patients who receive dialysis often have many comorbidities that leave them vulnerable to extreme weather events. With rising global temperatures in the setting of climate change, we sought to determine how extreme heat has affected this population.
Which USRDS datasets did you use to conduct your study?
We used Standard Analysis Files including Patient Profile, Medical Evidence Form, Treatment History, and Residence
Using plain language, please summarize your study conclusions in two or three points.
- Patients receiving maintenance dialysis in the U.S. were at an increased risk of death during extreme humid-heat events.
- This risk of death was especially magnified in the Southeastern U.S.
- The elevated risk of death diminished soon after the humid-heat event ended.
Please share a specific insight about working with USRDS data that you learned during the completion of this study.
Linking time-updated residence information with GIS tools permits longitudinal analysis of environmental exposures among patients with kidney failure.