The learning curve for robotic living donor right hepatectomy: Analysis of outcomes in two specialized centers.

Robotic surgery is an emerging minimally invasive option for living donor hepatectomy. Currently, there are no studies on the learning curve of robotic donor hepatectomy. Thus, we evaluated the learning curve for robotic donor right hepatectomy (RH). We retrospectively reviewed prospectively collected data from consecutive living donors who underwent robotic hepatectomy at two specialized centers between 2016 and 2022. We estimated the number of cases required to achieve stable operating times for robotic donor RH using cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis. The complication rates were similar between the two centers (22.8% vs. 26.7%; p=0.74). Most complications were graded as minor (70.4%). Analysis of the total operative time demonstrated that the learning curves reached a peak at the 17th case in Center 1 and the 9th case in Center 2. The average operation times for cases 1-17 versus 18-99 in Center 1 were 603 versus 438 minutes (p<0.001), and cases 1-9 versus 10-15 in Center 2 were 532 versus 418 minutes (p=0.002). Complication rates were lower after the learning curves were achieved, although this did not reach statistical significance. A comparison of outcomes between centers suggests that a standardized approach to this complex operation can be successfully transferred.

The Survival Benefit of Reabstinence After Harmful Alcohol Use Following Early Liver Transplant for Severe Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis: A Multicenter ACCELERATE Study.

INTRODUCTION: Early (i.e., without mandated period of abstinence) liver transplant (LT) for alcohol-associated hepatitis is the fastest-growing indication for LT in the United States and Europe. Harmful alcohol use after LT is associated with poor outcomes, but the distinction of establishing abstinence after return to drinking (i.e., reabstinence) is understudied. This study aims to characterize the survival outcomes of achieving reabstinence after post-LT harmful alcohol use. METHODS: We analyzed early LT recipients from 12 US LT centers between 2006 and 2021. Post-LT alcohol use was characterized as harmful using criteria of "binge" (≥5 [men] or ≥4 [women] drinks in < 24 hours) or "frequent" (≥4 days in one week) by interview or phosphatidylethanol >20 ng/mL. Reabstinence was defined as ≥12 consecutive months without harmful alcohol use after harmful alcohol use. RESULTS: Among 347 LT recipients (64% male, median age 43, median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium score 38) with median post-LT follow-up of 2.2 years (interquartile interval 1.1-3.6), 276 (80%) recipients had no evidence of harmful alcohol use, 35 (10%) recipients had reabstinence, and 36 (10%) recipients had continued harmful alcohol use without reabstinence. Five-year predicted survival, adjusted for age, sex, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium score, was lowest among LT recipients with continued harmful alcohol use (77%), but similar among those with no harmful use (93%) and reabstinence (94%). DISCUSSION: Achieving reabstinence after post-LT harmful alcohol use is associated with similar 5-year post-LT survival compared with those without evidence of post-LT harmful alcohol use. Our findings highlight the importance of early detection and treatment of post-LT alcohol use.

Update on the Screening, Diagnosis, and Management of Cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a neoplasm of the biliary tract that has become increasingly prevalent throughout the world. Common risk factors for developing CCA include cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and trematode fluke infestation, although there are no set screening guidelines in high-risk groups. Lesions are typically identified via cross-sectional imaging and/or elevated serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels, often followed by cytology or brushings with fluorescence in situ hybridization for confirmation. Treatments can vary among CCA subtypes but frequently involve systemic therapies such as gemcitabine and cisplatin with durvalumab or pembrolizumab. Targeted therapies may also be effective (eg, ivosidenib, pemigatinib, infigratinib, futibatinib) depending on the molecular alterations present. Resection is the most common surgical treatment for CCA, although liver transplantation is also an option in highly selected patients with liver-limited unresectable disease. Radiotherapy may also be a treatment option, as well as transarterial radioembolization (eg, yttrium-90), which is often utilized in combination with systemic therapy. Although patients with CCA have traditionally had a poor prognosis, recent advances in treatment, including new systemic therapies and increased utilization of liver transplantation, have improved expected survival. This article reviews screening modalities, pros and cons of diagnostic techniques, and therapies that are currently available to treat patients with CCA.

Single-center Outcomes After Liver Transplantation With SARS-CoV-2-Positive Donors: An Argument for Increased Utilization.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in SARS-CoV-2-test positive potential organ donors. The benefits of life-saving liver transplantation (LT) must be balanced against the potential risk of donor-derived viral transmission. Although emerging evidence suggests that the use of COVID-19-positive donor organs may be safe, granular series thoroughly evaluating safety are still needed. Results of 29 consecutive LTs from COVID-19-positive donors at a single center are presented here. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of LT recipients between April 2020 and December 2022 was conducted. Differences between recipients of COVID-19-positive (n = 29 total; 25 index, 4 redo) and COVID-19-negative (n = 472 total; 454 index, 18 redo) deceased donor liver grafts were compared. Results: COVID-19-positive donors were significantly younger (P = 0.04) and had lower kidney donor profile indices (P = 0.04) than COVID-19-negative donors. Recipients of COVID-19-positive donor grafts were older (P = 0.04) but otherwise similar to recipients of negative donors. Donor SARS-CoV-2 infection status was not associated with a overall survival of recipients (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-5.04; P = 0.89). There were 3 deaths among recipients of liver grafts from COVID-19-positive donors. No death seemed virally mediated because there was no qualitative association with peri-LT antispike antibody titers, post-LT prophylaxis, or SARS-CoV-2 variants. Conclusions: The utilization of liver grafts from COVID-19-positive donors was not associated with a decreased overall survival of recipients. There was no suggestion of viral transmission from donor to recipient. The results from this large single-center study suggest that COVID-19-positive donors may be used safely to expand the deceased donor pool.

Effect of a Hispanic outreach program on referral and liver transplantation volume at a single center.

BACKGROUND: Although Hispanic patients have high rates of end-stage liver disease and liver cancer, for which liver transplantation (LT) offers the best long-term outcomes, they are less likely to receive LT. Studies of end-stage renal disease patients and kidney transplant candidates have shown that targeted, culturally relevant interventions can increase the likelihood of Hispanic patients receiving kidney transplant. However, similar interventions remain largely unstudied in potential LT candidates. METHODS: Referrals to a single center in Texas with a large Hispanic patient population were compared before (01/2018-12/2019) and after (7/2021-6/2023) the implementation of a targeted outreach program. Patient progress toward LT, reasons for ineligibility, and differences in insurance were examined between the two eras. RESULTS: A greater proportion of Hispanic patients were referred for LT after the implementation of the outreach program (23.2% vs 26.2%, p = 0.004). Comparing the pre-outreach era to the post-outreach era, more Hispanic patients achieved waitlisting status (61 vs 78, respectively) and received a LT (971 vs 82, respectively). However, the proportion of Hispanic patients undergoing LT dropped from 30.2% to 20.3%. In the post-outreach era, half of the Hispanic patients were unable to get LT for financial reasons (112, 50.5%). CONCLUSIONS: A targeted outreach program for Hispanic patients with end-stage liver disease effectively increased the total number of Hispanic LT referrals and recipients. However, many of the patients who were referred were ineligible for LT, most frequently for financial reasons. These results highlight the need for additional research into the most effective ways to ameliorate financial barriers to LT in this high-need community.

Genome-wide association study identifies high-impact susceptibility loci for HCC in North America.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite the substantial impact of environmental factors, individuals with a family history of liver cancer have an increased risk for HCC. However, genetic factors have not been studied systematically by genome-wide approaches in large numbers of individuals from European descent populations (EDP). APPROACH AND RESULTS: We conducted a 2-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) on HCC not affected by HBV infections. A total of 1872 HCC cases and 2907 controls were included in the discovery stage, and 1200 HCC cases and 1832 controls in the validation. We analyzed the discovery and validation samples separately and then conducted a meta-analysis. All analyses were conducted in the presence and absence of HCV. The liability-scale heritability was 24.4% for overall HCC. Five regions with significant ORs (95% CI) were identified for nonviral HCC: 3p22.1, MOBP , rs9842969, (0.51, [0.40-0.65]); 5p15.33, TERT , rs2242652, (0.70, (0.62-0.79]); 19q13.11, TM6SF2 , rs58542926, (1.49, [1.29-1.72]); 19p13.11 MAU2 , rs58489806, (1.53, (1.33-1.75]); and 22q13.31, PNPLA3 , rs738409, (1.66, [1.51-1.83]). One region was identified for HCV-induced HCC: 6p21.31, human leukocyte antigen DQ beta 1, rs9275224, (0.79, [0.74-0.84]). A combination of homozygous variants of PNPLA3 and TERT showing a 6.5-fold higher risk for nonviral-related HCC compared to individuals lacking these genotypes. This observation suggests that gene-gene interactions may identify individuals at elevated risk for developing HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our GWAS highlights novel genetic susceptibility of nonviral HCC among European descent populations from North America with substantial heritability. Selected genetic influences were observed for HCV-positive HCC. Our findings indicate the importance of genetic susceptibility to HCC development.

Proceedings of the 28th Annual Congress of the International Liver Transplantation Society.

The 2023 Joint International Congress of the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS), the European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association (ELITA), and the Liver Intensive Care Group of Europe (LICAGE) held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, marked a significant recovery milestone for the liver transplant community after COVID-19. With 1159 participants and a surge in abstract submissions, the event focused on "Liver Disorders and Transplantation: Innovations and Evolving Indications." This conference report provides a comprehensive overview of the key themes discussed during the event, encompassing Hepatology, Anesthesia and Critical Care, Acute Liver Failure, Infectious Disease, Immunosuppression, Pediatric Liver Transplantation, Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Transplant Oncology, Surgical Approaches, and Machine Perfusion. The congress provided a platform for extensive discussions on a wide range of topics, reflecting the continuous advancements and collaborative efforts within the liver transplant community.

Bloodstream infections after solid organ transplantation: clinical epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance (2016-21).

Background: Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are at risk of bloodstream infections (BSIs) with MDR organisms (MDROs). Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of BSI in the year after several types of SOT, as well as the prevalence of MDRO infections in this population. Methods: We conducted a single-centre, retrospective study of kidney, liver, heart, and multi-organ transplantation patients. We examined BSIs ≤1 year from SOT and classified MDRO phenotypes for Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida spp. We compared BSI characteristics between SOT types and determined risk factors for 90 day mortality. Results: We included 2293 patients [1251 (54.6%) kidney, 663 (28.9%) liver, 219 (9.6%) heart and 160 (7.0%) multi-organ transplant]. Overall, 8.5% of patients developed a BSI. BSIs were most common after multi-organ (23.1%) and liver (11.3%) transplantation (P < 0.001). Among 196 patients with BSI, 323 unique isolates were recovered, 147 (45.5%) of which were MDROs. MDROs were most common after liver transplant (53.4%). The most frequent MDROs were VRE (69.8% of enterococci) and ESBL-producing and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (29.2% and 27.2% of Enterobacterales, respectively). Mortality after BSI was 9.7%; VRE was independently associated with mortality (adjusted OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.7-21.3). Conclusions: BSI incidence after SOT was 8.5%, with a high proportion of MDROs (45.5%), especially after liver transplantation. These data, in conjunction with local antimicrobial resistance patterns and prescribing practices, may help guide empirical antimicrobial selection and stewardship practices after SOT.

Liver transplantation as an alternative for the treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Past, present, and future directions.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a rare biliary tract cancer with high mortality rate. Complete resection of the iCCA lesion is the first choice of treatment, with good prognosis after margin-negative resection. Unfortunately, only 12%-40% of patients are eligible for resection at presentation due to cirrhosis, portal hypertension, or large tumor size. Liver transplantation (LT) offers margin-negative iCCA extirpation for patients with unresectable tumors. Initially, iCCA was a contraindication for LT until size-based selection criteria were introduced to identify patients with satisfied post-LT outcomes. Recent studies have shown that tumor biology-based selection can yield high post-LT survival in patients with locally advanced iCCA. Another selection criterion is the tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy. Patients with response to neoadjuvant therapy have better outcomes after LT compared with those without tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy. Another index that helps predict the treatment outcome is the biomarker. Improved survival outcomes have also opened the door for living donor LT for iCCA. Patients undergoing LT for iCCA now have statistically similar survival rates as patients undergoing resection. The combination of surgery and locoregional and systemic therapies improves the prognosis of iCCA patients.

Pre-transplant Biomarkers of Immune Dysfunction Improve Risk Assessment of Post-transplant Mortality Compared to Conventional Clinical Risk Scores.

Introduction: There is a critical need to accurately stratify liver transplant (LT) candidates' risk of post-LT mortality prior to LT to optimize patient selection and avoid futility. Here, we compare previously described pre-LT clinical risk scores with the recently developed Liver Immune Frailty Index (LIFI) for prediction of post-LT mortality. LIFI measures immune dysregulation based on pre-LT plasma HCV IgG, MMP3 and Fractalkine. LIFI accurately predicts post-LT mortality, with LIFI-low corresponding to 1.4% 1-year post-LT mortality compared with 58.3% for LIFI-high (C-statistic=0.85). Methods: LIFI was compared to MELD, MELD-Na, MELD 3.0, D-MELD, MELD-GRAIL, MELD-GRAIL-Na, UCLA-FRS, BAR, SOFT, P-SOFT, and LDRI scores on 289 LT recipients based on waitlist data at the time of LT. Survival, hazard of early post-LT death, and discrimination power (C-statistic) were assessed. Results: LIFI showed superior discrimination (highest C-statistic) for post-LT mortality when compared to all other risk scores, irrespective of biologic MELD. On univariate analysis, the LIFI showed a significant correlation with mortality 6-months, as well as 1-, 3-, and 5-years. No other pre-LT scoring system significantly correlated with post-LT mortality. On bivariate adjusted analysis, African American race (p<0.05) and pre-LT cardiovascular disease (p=0.053) were associated with early- and long-term post-LT mortality. Patients who died within 1-yr following LT had a significantly higher incidence of infections, including 30-day and 90-day incidence of any infection, pneumonia, abdominal infections, and UTI (p<0.05). Conclusions: LIFI, which measures pre-LT biomarkers of immune dysfunction, more accurately predicts risk of post-LT futility compared with current clinical predictive models. Pre-LT assessment of immune dysregulation may be critical in predicting mortality after LT and may optimize selection of candidates with lowest risk of futile outcomes.

Modern Outcomes After Liver Retransplantation: A Single-center Experience.

BACKGROUND: The need for liver retransplantation (reLT) has increased proportionally with greater numbers of liver transplants (LTs) performed, use of marginal donors, degree of recipient preoperative liver dysfunction, and longer survival after LT. However, outcomes following reLT have been historically regarded as poor. METHODS: To evaluate reLT in modern recipients, we retrospectively examined our single-center experience. Analysis included 1268 patients undergoing single LT and 68 patients undergoing reLT from January 2008 to December 2021. RESULTS: Pre-LT mechanical ventilation, body mass index at LT, donor-recipient ABO incompatibility, early acute rejection, and length of hospitalization were associated with increased risk of needing reLT following index transplant. Overall and graft survival outcomes in the reLT cohort were equivalent to those after single LT. Mortality after reLT was associated with Kidney Donor Profile Index, national organ sharing at reLT, and LT donor death by anoxia and blood urea nitrogen levels. Survival after reLT was independent of the interval between initial LT and reLT, intraoperative packed red blood cell use, cold ischemia time, and preoperative mechanical ventilation, all previously linked to worse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that reLT is currently a safer option for patients with liver graft failure, with comparable outcomes to primary LT.

Combined liver transplantation and sleeve gastrectomy: Report of a brief-interval staged approach.

Pretransplantation bariatric surgery in patients with high Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is fraught with risks. Bariatric surgery after liver transplantation (LT) may be complicated by surgical adhesions but could have advantages if performed at the time of transplantation. We investigated a method of brief-interval staging combining LT and sleeve gastrectomy (SG). LT recipients with a body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m 2 received an SG during the same hospitalization as the LT (LT/SG), at the same time as a planned brief-interval return to the operating room for biliary anastomosis. Differences in intraoperative attributes of the LT (Stage 1) versus SG (Stage 2) procedures were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test with significance p < 0.05 and compared with patients with obesity having a two-stage LT without SG. A total of 14 cases {median MELD score 33 (interquartile range [IQR], 18-40)} were compared with 28 controls; 60% were critically ill prior to surgery with mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, or continuous renal replacement therapy. Median interval between procedures was 16.1 (IQR, 12.5-22.7) hours for cases and 12.2 (IQR, 11.1-16.6) hours for controls, p  = 0.27. Median BMI at LT/SG was 47.0 (IQR, 41.7-51.3) kg/m 2 versus 38.1 (IQR, 35.7-39.8) kg/m 2 for controls, p < 0.001. At 1 year, median excess body weight loss was 74.0% (IQR, 46.2%-78.7%) in cases and 15.8% (IQR, -5.4% to 62.6%) in controls, p  = 0.13; total weight loss was 38.1% (IQR, 23.9-42.9) in cases versus 7.7% (IQR, -2.4% to 27.6%) for controls, p  = 0.03. Graft survival at 1 year was 92.9% for cases and 89.3% for controls with similar early postoperative outcomes. This proof-of-concept study revealed that a brief-interval SG during LT is feasible in patients with high MELD and resulted in sustained weight loss at 1 year with similar graft survival. Further studies are needed to determine an optimal strategy.

COVID-19 mortality may be reduced among fully vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 due to their immunosuppressed state and reduced immunogenicity from COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. This investigation examined the association between COVID-19 mRNA vaccination status and mortality among SOT recipients diagnosed with COVID-19. METHODS & FINDINGS: A retrospective, registry-based chart review was conducted investigating COVID-19 mortality among immunosuppressed solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients in a large metropolitan healthcare system in Houston, Texas, USA. Electronic health record data was collected from consecutive SOT recipients who received a diagnostic SARS-CoV-2 test between March 1, 2020, and October 1, 2021. The primary exposure was COVID-19 vaccination status at time of COVID-19 diagnosis. Patients were considered 'fully vaccinated' at fourteen days after completing their vaccine course. COVID-19 mortality within 60 days and intensive care unit admission within 30 days were primary and secondary endpoints, respectively. Among 646 SOT recipients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 at Houston Methodist Hospital between March 2020, and October 2021, 70 (10.8%) expired from COVID-19 within 60 days. Transplanted organs included 63 (9.8%) heart, 355 (55.0%) kidney, 108 (16.7%) liver, 70 (10.8%) lung, and 50 (7.7%) multi-organ. Increasing age was a risk factor for COVID-19 mortality, while vaccination within 180 days of COVID-19 diagnosis was protective in Cox proportional hazard models with hazard ratio 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01-1.06) and 0.31 (0.11-0.90), respectively). These findings were confirmed in the propensity score matched cohort between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation found COVID-19 mortality may be significantly reduced among immunosuppressed SOT recipients within 6 months following vaccination. These findings can inform vaccination policies targeting immunosuppressed populations worldwide.

Hospitalization and survival of solid organ transplant recipients with coronavirus disease 2019: A propensity matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are predicted to have worse COVID-19 outcomes due to their compromised immunity. However, this association remains uncertain because published studies have had small sample sizes and variability in chronic comorbidity adjustment. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study conducted at a multihospital health system, we compared COVID-19 outcomes and survival up to 60 days following hospital admission in SOT recipients taking baseline immunosuppressants versus hospitalized control patients. RESULTS: The study included 4,562 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 (108 SOT recipients and 4,454 controls) from 03/2020 to 08/2020. Mortality at 60 days was higher for SOT recipients (17% SOT vs 10% control; unadjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-2.91, P = 0.04). We then conducted a 1:5 propensity matched cohort analysis (100 SOT recipients; 500 controls) using age, sex, race, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, admission month, and area deprivation index. Within 28 days of admission, SOT recipients had fewer hospital-free days (median; 17 SOT vs 21 control; OR = 0.64, 95%CI 0.46-0.90, P = 0.01) but had similar ICU-free days (OR = 1.20, 95%CI 0.72-2.00, P = 0.49) and ventilator-free days (OR = 0.91, 95%CI 0.53-1.57, P = 0.75). There was no statistically significant difference in 28-day mortality (9% SOT vs 12% control; OR = 0.76, 95%CI 0.36-1.57, P = 0.46) or 60-day mortality (16% SOT vs 14% control; OR = 1.15, 95%CI 0.64-2.08, P = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized SOT recipients appear to need additional days of hospital care but can achieve short-term mortality outcomes from COVID-19 that are similar to non-SOT recipients in a propensity matched cohort study.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: The role of liver transplantation, adjunctive treatments, and prognostic biomarkers.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a primary epithelial cell malignancy of the liver with rising incidence rate globally. Its insidious presentation, heterogeneous and aggressive biology, and recalcitrance to current therapies results in unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. This has spurred research efforts in the last decade to better characterize it molecularly with translation to improved diagnostic tools and treatments. Much of this has been driven by patient advocacy. This has renewed interest in orthotopic liver transplantation (LT) with adjunctive therapies for iCCA, which was historically disparaged due to poor recipient outcomes and donor organ scarcity. However, the optimal use of LT as a treatment for iCCA care remains unclear. Here, we review the epidemiology of iCCA, the history of LT as a treatment modality, alternative approaches to iCCA local control, the evidence for peri-operative systemic therapies, and the potential roles of biomarkers and targeted agents. In doing so, we hope to prioritize areas for continued research and identify areas where multidisciplinary care can improve outcomes.

Liver transplantation and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: time to go forward again?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Liver transplantation for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) has been mired in controversy. High rates of recurrence posttransplant combined with donor organ scarcity resulted in most transplant centers treating iCCA as a contraindication for liver transplantation. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies have shown that carefully selected patients with unresectable iCCA can have good outcomes after liver transplantation. Better outcomes have been seen in patients with smaller tumors and favorable tumor biology. SUMMARY: Because many patients are diagnosed with iCCA at later stages, tumor biology and genetics are useful tools to identify patients who will have excellent overall and recurrence-free survival after liver transplantation. Further larger multicenter prospective studies are needed to identify patients who would benefit from liver transplantation with good outcomes. Additional advances will come through early diagnosis and utilizing a combination of chemotherapy and locoregional modalities as a bridge to transplant. There is also a need to recognize and develop additional neo- and adjuvant therapies for patients whose tumor biology currently precludes their inclusion on the liver transplantation waitlist.

Outcomes of a High-Volume Organ Procurement Organization in the Era of Increasing Donation After Circulatory Death.

Introduction: Donation after circulatory death (DCD) is rapidly increasing in the United States. Detailed data outlining the process from referral to organ transplantation is lacking. Project Aims: We sought to quantify differences at each stage along the referral to donation pathway by donor type. Additionally, we examined factors associated with successful DCD organ utilization. Design: This program evaluation analyzed data from a single organ procurement organization in 2018 to assess demographic and clinical predictors of progression through the donation process, including the role of first-person authorization in DCD. Descriptive statistics were examined by donation stage for demographic characteristics using chi-square; univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to model predictors of utilization and authorization by organ type, respectively. Results: There were 2466 organ donation referrals during 2018, including 575 donations after brainstem death (DBD), 1890 controlled DCD referrals, and 1 uncontrolled DCD referral. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models highlighted differences in authorization rates by donor type (DCD vs DBD) and by age, race, and ethnicity. Next-of-kin authorization was declined in 23% of first-person authorized potential DCD, highlighting issues related to the role of donor registration in DCD. Pre-mortem heparin administration was predictive of DCD organ utilization; donor age and warm ischemia time of less than 30 min was statistically significantly associated with DCD extra-renal organ utilization. Conclusion: These results provided insight into strategies for increasing authorization and transplantation of organs from DCD donors and identified areas of improvement for process standardization and policy development.

Novel Benchmark Values for Redo Liver Transplantation: Does the Outcome Justify the Effort?

OBJECTIVE: To define benchmark cutoffs for redo liver transplantation (redo-LT). BACKGROUND: In the era of organ shortage, redo-LT is frequently discussed in terms of expected poor outcome and wasteful resources. However, there is a lack of benchmark data to reliably evaluate outcomes after redo-LT. METHODS: We collected data on redo-LT between January 2010 and December 2018 from 22 high-volume transplant centers. Benchmark cases were defined as recipients with model of end stage liver disease (MELD) score ≤25, absence of portal vein thrombosis, no mechanical ventilation at the time of surgery, receiving a graft from a donor after brain death. Also, high-urgent priority and early redo-LT including those for primary nonfunction (PNF) or hepatic artery thrombosis were excluded. Benchmark cutoffs were derived from the 75th percentile of the medians of all benchmark centers. RESULTS: Of 1110 redo-LT, 373 (34%) cases qualified as benchmark cases. Among these cases, the rate of postoperative complications until discharge was 76%, and increased up to 87% at 1-year, respectively. One-year overall survival rate was excellent with 90%. Benchmark cutoffs included Comprehensive Complication Index CCI ® at 1-year of ≤72, and in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates of ≤13% and ≤15%, respectively. In contrast, patients who received a redo-LT for PNF showed worse outcomes with some values dramatically outside the redo-LT benchmarks. CONCLUSION: This study shows that redo-LT achieves good outcome when looking at benchmark scenarios. However, this figure changes in high-risk redo-LT, as for example in PNF. This analysis objectifies for the first-time results and efforts for redo-LT and can serve as a basis for discussion about the use of scarce resources.

mTOR inhibitors, mycophenolates, and other immunosuppression regimens on antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in solid organ transplant recipients.

A recent study concluded that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine responses were improved among transplant patients taking mTOR inhibitors (mTORi). This could have profound implications for vaccine strategies in transplant patients; however, limitations in the study design raise concerns about the conclusions. To address this issue more robustly, in a large cohort with appropriate adjustment for confounders, we conducted various regression- and machine learning-based analyses to compare antibody responses by immunosuppressive agents in a national cohort (n = 1037). MMF was associated with significantly lower odds of positive antibody response (aOR = 0.09 0.130.18 ). Consistent with the recent mTORi study, the odds tended to be higher with mTORi (aOR = 1.00 1.452.13 ); however, importantly, this seemingly protective tendency disappeared (aOR = 0.47 0.731.12 ) after adjusting for MMF. We repeated this comparison by combinations of immunosuppression agents. Compared to MMF + tacrolimus, MMF-free regimens were associated with higher odds of positive antibody response (aOR = 2.39 4.267.92 for mTORi+tacrolimus; 2.34 5.5415.32 for mTORi-only; and 6.78 10.2515.93 for tacrolimus-only), whereas MMF-including regimens were not, regardless of mTORi use (aOR = 0.81 1.542.98 for MMF + mTORi; and 0.81 1.512.87 for MMF-only). We repeated these analyses in an independent cohort (n = 512) and found similar results. Our study demonstrates that the recently reported findings were confounded by MMF, and that mTORi is not independently associated with improved vaccine responses.

Artificial intelligence to identify harmful alcohol use after early liver transplant for alcohol-associated hepatitis.

Early liver transplantation (LT) for alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is the fastest growing indication for LT, but prediction of harmful alcohol use post-LT remains limited. Among 10 ACCELERATE-AH centers, we examined psychosocial evaluations from consecutive LT recipients for AH from 2006 to 2017. A multidisciplinary panel used content analysis to develop a maximal list of psychosocial variables. We developed an artificial intelligence model to predict post-LT harmful alcohol use. The cohort included training (N = 91 among 8 centers) and external validation (N = 25 among 2 centers) sets, with median follow-up of 4.4 (IQR 3.0-6.0) years post-LT. In the training set, AUC was 0.930 (95%CI 0.862-0.998) with positive predictive value of 0.891 (95%CI 0.620-1.000), internally validated through fivefold cross-validation. In the external validation set, AUC was 0.692 (95%CI 0.666-0.718) with positive predictive value of 0.82 (95%CI 0.625-1.000). The model identified specific variables related to social support and substance use as highly important to predict post-LT harmful alcohol use. We retrospectively developed and validated a model that identified psychosocial profiles at LT predicting harmful alcohol use post-LT for AH. This preliminary model may inform selection and post-LT management for AH and warrants prospective evaluation in larger studies among all alcohol-associated liver disease being considered for early LT.