Renal Disaster Relief Task Force (RDRTF)

Renal Disaster Relief Task Force (RDRTF)

Details

Parent Category: ISN Information

The ISN Renal Disaster Relief Task Force (RDRTF) provides essential medical care to people in the wake of natural disasters. The Task Force consists of a worldwide network of experts in the management of patients with acute renal failure. It was created after the severe earthquake in Armenia in 1988 to provide future renal aid in action wherever needed around the globe.  The Task Force works in close collaboration with Médecins sans Frontières.

RDRTF Coordination Center

Chairman/coordinator: Raymond Vanholder (Belgium)
Secretary: Chantal Bergen

Contact:
Nephrology Section 0K12A,
University Hospital Ghent
De Pintelaan 185,
BE- 9000 Gent, Belgium
Tel  +32 9 332 4522, Fax  +32 9 332 4599
General e-mail: [email protected]

International Steering Committee

Volunteers

The RDRTF regularly recruits volunteers. These include nephrologists, intensivists, renal nurses and dialysis technicians. For further information, contact the Coordination Centre: [email protected]. 

Download the Task Description for Volunteers

Major interventions

The following slide show presents the objectives of the task force and gives an overview of all RDRTF activities since 1999.

The Task Force has offered crucial assistance in the aftermath of the below disasters:

2011 - October: earthquake in Eastern Turkey
Through local contact with Dr. Sever and his colleague Dr Koc help and support was provided to victims rapidly after disaster struck. A dialysis center for crush victims was set up in the nearby city of Mus. Dr. Koc started giving instructions on appropriate fluid administration, and the absolute necessity to avoid potassium containing solutions.

2011 - March: earthquake and tsunami Japan
The Task Force lent its support to some chronic patients who were moved to hospitals in Tokyo. The team was always on call to help local doctors however the already had a huge nephrology structure.

2011- February: earthquake New Zealand
In Christchurch, the RDRTF helped move patients to the other side of the island as the hospitals didn’t have the possibility to look after chronic patients. There were no cases of acute kidney injury communicated to the team.

2010 - February: earthquake Chile
An intervention team was put on standby to treat potential kidney disease patients. The RDRTF did not take action onsite as the Chilean nephrological community kept everything under control. Sociedad Latino-Americana de Nephrologia e Hipertension (SLANH ) and its Chair Dr. R. Correa-Rotter as well as Dr. W. Douthat from Argentina and Dr. Rodrigo from Brazil are ready to offer help to Chilean dialysis patients.

2010 - January: earthquake Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Seen as one of its most intense interventions, the RDRTF spent two months responding to victims of the earthquake that struck the island in January 2010.  This intervention revealed the tremendous collaboration between Médecins Sans Frontières and nephrology societies across Martinique, Guadaloupe, Europe and the United States.

2009 - September: Sumatra-Padang earthquake
A severe earthquake struck Western Sumatra, Indonesia, on September 30, 2009, shortly after an eartquake and tsunami in the Samoa Islands. Experts from the ISN-RDRTF went to  Sumatra on October 1st, 2009 to evaluate support and needs as part of a broader team of Médecins sans Frontières.

2009 - April: l'Aquila, Italy earthquake
The RDRTF was in continuous contact with several Italian physicians and sent recommendations on the practical approach of crush to the local physicians.

2008 - May: Sichuan- Chengdu, China earthquake
RDRTF assesors we sent to Chengu where materials were purchased by Médecins Sans Frontières and were distributed. Other materials were made available by the Hong Kong Society of Nephrology. 

2007 - August: Earthquake in Peru
In an immediate response to the dreadful Peru quake the RDRTF sent a volunteer, S. Claus, to join the MSF assessment team for a one week intervention.

2006 - July: Israelo-Lebanese War
The RDRTF teamed up once more with Médecins Sans Frontières colleagues to bring aid, supplies and relief to Lebanon within just three days of the initial alert.

2006 - May: Earthquake in Indonesia
Following the devastating earthquake that hit Indonesia on May 26, 2006, Task Force members  underwent a 10 day intervention which consisted of the extensive screening of more than 1,000 hospitalized victims, as well as providing education on the identification and treatment of crush syndrome and acute renal failure.

2005 - October: Earthquake in Pakistan
In collaboration with colleagues from Médecins Sans Frontières, Task Force members were on the ground in Islamabad within days of the quake. The mission marked over two weeks of ISN intervention and relief work.

2003 - December: Earthquake in Iran
After the earthquake in Bam, 140 patients needed dialysis and were evacuated, first to the nearby city of Kerman and if necessary further away by air-bridge.

2003 - May: earthquake in Algeria

1999 - August: Marmara Earthquake
After this major earthquake, close to 500 patients needed dialysis. Six doctors and more than 30 nurses were active over an entire month to help their Turkish colleagues. Furthermore, material help was offered by providing 5 hemodialysis machines and several thousands of dialysers.

Educational Material

The following education material is available for download:

Logistic Coordination in Renal Disasters

• Crush Syndrome Following Disasters part 1
• Crush Syndrome Following Disasters part 2
• RDRTF Crush Patients Clinical Follow-up Chart
• RDRTF Crush Patients Questionnaire
• RDRTF Crush Patients Flow Statistics

Guidelines available on ISN Education

Click here to read the Guidelines and commentaries on ISN Education

Links

• Médecins Sans Frontières: http://www.msf.org/
• ORPADT (Dutch website): http://www.orpadt.be/index.php
• AFIDTN: http://www.afidtn.com