BAMBERG -- An internationally renowned cardiovascular surgeon was in Bamberg last week consulting with surgeon Dr. John Ross on new technologies that will benefit dialysis patients.

Dr. Adrian Ebner, chief of the cardiovascular surgery department at the French Hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay, and Ross, who has had his surgical practice in Bamberg for more than 20 years, are pioneering new arteriovenous access devices for end-stage renal disease patients and have established a cooperative international relationship designed to improve patient outcomes.

Ebner's interest is establishing new AV access clinics in his country brought him to Bamberg, where he says the exchange of ideas and experiences with Ross have been very helpful.

Ross is widely recognized as an expert in the field of hemodialysis vascular access procedures.

"Dr. Ross does more vascular access work in Bamberg County than any other physician in any county in the country. He is also a HERO device trainer -- one of only two in the United States. The other HERO trainer is at Duke University," said John Wilson, vice president of clinical operations for Vascular Devices LLC of North Brunswick, N.Y. "The focus of Dr. Ross' practice is arteriovenous access -- installing vascular grafts made of synthetic material. He has patients coming to him from all over South Carolina as well as from Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee."

More than a dozen patients were scheduled to see Ross for procedures related to dialysis access on July 9 when Ebner was training with him. Ebner said he traveled from Paraguay to Bamberg because he had read and heard from medical colleagues about the innovative procedures Ross practices in Bamberg.

"Dr. Ross is well-known. I learned about him from medical articles and from studying options for treatments for dialysis," he said. "Dr. Ross' methods for inserting the synthetic graft that enables frequent dialysis is the best option medicine has to offer right now."

Both Ross and Ebner said even though research suggests many instances of kidney disease could be prevented by changing lifestyle and diet to control diabetes and blood pressure, the incidence of kidney problems that lead to dialysis continues to rise.

Because of the needs of his patients, Ebner said he wants to establish new AV access clinics in Asuncion. In turn, Ross said he wants to visit Ebner in Paraguay to assist and develop several new projects of his own.

Bamberg County Hospital offers a hands-on surgical training program in hemodialysis vascular access procedures accredited by the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology. Ross teaches this program, bringing health professionals from across the United States to Bamberg for training. The Interventional Nephrology Training program takes four to six weeks to complete, based on case availability. In addition to surgical training, participants review radiation safety and conscious sedation procedures and receive sample policies and procedures, including sample operation room preference cards for vascular surgery. A clinical staff INT preceptor program is also available.

"People know me more in California than in Bamberg County," Ross said. "Over the last 20-plus years, we've developed our arteriovenous access program that is known over a wide area."

A general surgeon, Ross is nationally recognized for his work in vascular surgery. He completed his internship at the University of South Carolina, School of Medicine in Columbia and finished his residency in 1979 at the USC School of Medicine. Ross served as chief resident there from 1978-1979. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the South Carolina Medical Association and the American Medical Society. Ross is on the editorial board of the Journal of Vascular Access and the Editorial Advisory Board of Endovascular Today.

"Renal disease is evolving. Every year, more people are seeking dialysis because of kidney failure. The progression of the disease is a failure of our prevention efforts," Ebner said. "Habit, diet and disease control could prevent renal failure in many cases. The best option for the patient is prevention through diet, control of diabetes, control of hypertension, control of the level of cholesterol and control of the level of sugar in the blood.

"Prevention by these things is important, but is not easy for most patients."

T&D Correspondent Laura G. Carlson can be reached by e-mail at Laura@carlsonclan.com or by phone at 803-793-3336. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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