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Optimizing Metabolic Health Before Kidney Transplantation

Metabolic health is a top concern as patients progress from chronic kidney disease to dialysis to transplant candidacy and kidney graft receipt. But health care providers face a significant challenge: Most of the clinical indicators we currently use for metabolic health — hemoglobin A1c, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, declining glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria — tell us things have already progressed into the disease state.

Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplantation vs. Kidney Transplantation Alone in Type 1 Diabetes

Simultaneous pancreas–kidney transplantation effectively restores renal function and insulin secretion in select type 1 diabetes and end-stage renal disease patients. However, the advantages in patient survival, kidney graft outcomes, and cardiovascular benefits compared to kidney transplantation alone, particularly from living donors, are still under debate.

Partial Hepatectomy After Liver Transplantation

Partial hepatectomy after orthotopic liver transplantation serves as a graft-saving measure to circumvent or postpone re-transplantation. This study evaluates the indications, techniques, and outcomes associated with partial hepatectomy in patients who have undergone orthotopic liver transplantation.

Donor Hearts May Work Better if Stored Slightly Warmer

Researchers sought to analyze whether heart transplant outcomes hinged on the temperature setting of static cold storage of the donor heart. Between 4-8°C and 10°C cold preservation, there was a marked difference in graft and survival outcomes across adult heart transplants at two high-volume centers.

How 72-Hour Kidney Storage Could Transform Transplants

Donated organs deteriorate quickly, leaving surgeons only hours to act. Researchers developed a pressure-controlled system that keeps kidneys below freezing without forming damaging ice.

Genetic Testing After Heart Transplantation Uncovers Heritable Disease and Drives Family Screening

Genetic testing is pivotal in ambulatory cardiomyopathy, yet its role for heart transplant recipients is not well-defined. This study investigates the clinical utility of genetic testing for adult heart transplant patients with cardiomyopathy, emphasizing etiologic reclassification, family cascade screening, and the genetic factors linked to end-stage disease.

Living Donor Liver Transplantation as Salvage Therapy for Steroid-Refractory Chronic Hepatic GVHD Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Steroid-refractory hepatic graft-versus-host disease has significant mortality risks and limited treatment options. Liver transplantation post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is uncommon, especially in pediatric cases due to intricate alloimmunity. This report highlights a successful living donor liver transplantation from a parent to a pediatric patient.

Cancer Immunotherapy After Solid Organ Transplantation

Few clinical scenarios in modern oncology are as challenging or as thought provoking as treating cancer in patients who have previously undergone solid organ transplantation. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have fundamentally transformed cancer treatment, producing durable responses and long term survival in diseases once considered uniformly fatal.

COVID-19 Study Supports Antiviral Use in Kidney Transplant Recipients

In a target trial emulation, starting remdesivir soon after a COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with a 47% lower risk of graft failure or death at one year.

Single-Shot Intrathecal Morphine in Bilateral Lung Transplantation

Bilateral lung transplantation through clamshell thoracotomy results in significant postoperative pain. At the researchers' center, thoracic epidural analgesia is the standard practice, although it involves risks related to hemodynamics, catheter-related issues and anticoagulation during the early post-transplant phase.

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