Pediatric donor management to optimize donor heart utilization.

Optimal management of pediatric cardiac donors is essential in order to maximize donor heart utilization and minimize the rate of discarded organs. This review was performed after a systematic literature review and gives a detailed overview on current practices and guidelines. The review focuses on optimal monitoring of pediatric donors, donor workup, hormonal replacement, and obliterating the adverse effects of brain death. The current evidence on catecholamine support and thyroid hormone replacement is also discussed. Recognizing and addressing this shall help in a standardized approach toward donor management and optimal utilization of pediatric heart donors organs.

How feasible is implementation of distress screening by cancer clinicians in routine clinical care?

BACKGROUND: There is considerable uncertainty regarding the acceptability of routine distress screening. METHODS: In an unfunded implementation study, the authors asked 50 clinicians (chemotherapy nurses and treatment radiographers/radiation technologists) to implement a screening program for distress as part of routine care and to record their feedback after each clinical encounter. In total, 379 patients were screened using a simple paper-and-pencil versions of distress thermometer and the emotion thermometer (ET). RESULTS: Across all screening applications, clinicians believed that screening was useful during 43% of assessments and was not useful during 35.9% of assessments, and they were unsure or neutral in 21.1% of assessments. The application of the screening program assisted staff in changing their clinical opinion after 41.9% of assessments, and clinicians believed that the screening program helped with communication in >50% of assessments. However, 37.5% believed that screening was impractical for routine use, and more chemotherapy nurses than radiographers rated the screening program as "not useful." On multivariate analysis, 3 variables were associated with high staff satisfaction with screening, namely, receipt of prior training, talking with the patient about psychosocial issues, and improved detection of psychological problems. A favorable perception of screening also was linked to a change in clinical opinion. CONCLUSIONS: Opinions of cancer clinicians regarding routine distress screening were mixed: Approximately 33% considered screening not useful/impractical, whereas >50%n believed promoted good communication and/or helped with recognition. Clinicians who were more positive about screening gained greater benefits from screening in terms of communication and recognition.

The ARUBA trial: current status, future hopes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Report on the status of an on-going National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)-supported clinical trial of management of unbled brain arteriovenous malformations. SUMMARY OF REVIEW: Begun in April 2007 with 3 centers, the trial has grown to 65 centers, and has randomized 124 patients through mid-June 2010 en route to the planned 400. The current literature continues to support the rationale for the trial. CONCLUSIONS: ARUBA is steadily approaching its monthly randomization goals and has already reached the number needed to test the maximum published interventional complication rates against the minimum hemorrhage rates for natural history.

ISHLT consensus statement on donor organ acceptability and management in pediatric heart transplantation.

The number of potential pediatric heart transplant recipients continues to exceed the number of donors, and consequently the waitlist mortality remains significant. Despite this, around 40% of all donated organs are not used and are discarded. This document (62 authors from 53 institutions in 17 countries) evaluates factors responsible for discarding donor hearts and makes recommendations regarding donor heart acceptance. The aim of this statement is to ensure that no usable donor heart is discarded, waitlist mortality is reduced, and post-transplant survival is not adversely impacted.

Patient experiences of participation in a radical thoracic surgical trial: findings from the Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery Trial 2 (MARS 2).

BACKGROUND: The Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery Trial (MARS 2) aims to evaluate a surgical procedure by comparing chemotherapy and surgery against chemotherapy alone. The pilot study for MARS 2 evaluated the viability of recruitment. Challenges have been reported in conducting clinical research into thoracic surgical treatments and evidence is required to improve our understanding of patient experiences of trial procedures, trial treatments and the factors that influence participation. METHODS: This longitudinal qualitative study was nested within the MARS 2 pilot. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 15 participants in the MARS 2 trial. Interviews were conducted post-randomisation, post-surgery (surgery arm) and at 6 and 12 months. Altogether, 41 interviews were carried out. The data were analysed using framework techniques. RESULTS: Challenges were identified regarding the volume and complexity of information given to participants, and their understanding of clinical equipoise and randomisation. Factors influencing participation included having an opportunity to undergo surgery, a self-assessment of their ability to cope with trial treatments, maintaining a positive approach and altruism. Obstacles included the logistics of traveling for treatment in an unfamiliar setting. Negative consequences of trial participation included increased uncertainty amplified by multiple care providers and unclear transition arrangements after the trial. CONCLUSIONS: Participants' descriptions provided insights that have implications for care for mesothelioma trial patients. The need for healthcare staff to be alert to the potential for misunderstanding, particularly when presenting treatment options, was identified. Patients perceived and derived benefits from taking part in the trial but experienced some negative consequences. These should be anticipated and managed proactively. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02040272 . Registered on 20 January 2014.

Are depressive symptoms more common among British South Asian patients compared with British White patients with cancer? A cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional survey investigated whether there were ethnic differences in depressive symptoms among British South Asian (BSA) patients with cancer compared with British White (BW) patients during 9 months following presentation at a UK Cancer Centre. We examined associations between depressed mood, coping strategies and the burden of symptoms. DESIGN: Questionnaires were administered to 94 BSA and 185 BW recently diagnosed patients with cancer at baseline and at 3 and 9 months. In total, 53.8% of the BSA samples were born in the Indian subcontinent, 33% in Africa and 12.9% in the UK. Three screening tools for depression were used to counter concerns about ethnic bias and validity in linguistic translation. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (both validated in Gujarati), Emotion Thermometers (including the Distress Thermometer (DT), Mini-MAC and the newly developed Cancer Insight and Denial questionnaire (CIDQ) were completed. SETTING: Leicestershire Cancer Centre, UK. PARTICIPANTS: 94 BSA and 185 BW recently diagnosed patients with cancer. RESULTS: BSA self-reported significantly higher rates of depressive symptoms compared with BW patients longitudinally (HADS-D ≥8: baseline: BSA 35.1% vs BW 16.8%, p=0.001; 3 months BSA 45.6% vs BW 20.8%, p=0.001; 9 months BSA 40.6% vs BW 15.3%, p=0.004). BSA patients used potentially maladaptive coping strategies more frequently than BW patients at baseline (hopelessness/helplessness p=0.005, fatalism p=0.0005, avoidance p=0.005; the CIDQ denial statement 'I do not really believe I have cancer' p=0.0005). BSA patients experienced more physical symptoms (DT checklist), which correlated with ethnic differences in depressive symptoms especially at 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals need to be aware of a greater probability of depressive symptomatology (including somatic symptoms) and how this may present clinically in the first 9 months after diagnosis if this ethnic disparity in mental well-being is to be addressed.

Which symptoms are indicative of DSMIV depression in cancer settings? An analysis of the diagnostic significance of somatic and non-somatic symptoms.

BACKGROUND: There have been few studies that have attempted to examine the phenomenology of comorbid depression, in particular the diagnostic value of individual somatic and non-somatic symptoms when attempting to diagnose depression following cancer. METHODS: We approached 279 patients up to three times within 9 months of first presentation with a diagnosis of cancer, and collected data following a total of 558 contacts. 176 contacts (31%) were in a palliative stage. Symptoms were elicited by self-report PHQ9 and HADS-D scales. The prevalence of major depression was 12.7% but 29.6% had major or minor depression (any depressive disorder) according to modified DSMIV criteria. RESULTS: All symptoms of depression were significant more common in depressed versus non-depressed cancer patients regardless of stage. Against broadly defined any depressive disorder (ADD) the most accurate diagnostic symptoms were all somatic (namely trouble falling or staying asleep or sleeping too much; feeling tired or having little energy; poor appetite or overeating; trouble concentrating on things such as reading). Indeed the optimal symptom insomnia had good case-finding properties and screening properties used alone. A two step combination of three questions give a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 91.6% against ADD. Against major depressive disorder (MDD) both somatic and non-somatic symptoms were valuable (including but not limited to the PHQ2 stem questions). Only low energy was poorly discriminating which may suggest that the standard ICD10 criteria may not be optimal. When considering depression as defined by the HADS-D (≥ 11), then the three most influential symptoms were psychological closely followed by somatic symptoms. When looking for MDD and HADS-D depression, no single symptom was a good proxy for depression highlighting a possible shortcoming if clinicians attempt to rely on one single question. In a subset of palliative patients feeling bad about yourself and moving or speaking slowly were less influential and outperformed by poor appetite/overeating and feeling tired or having little energy. CONCLUSION: This research suggests that most somatic symptoms remain influential when diagnosing depression in the context of cancer and hence should not be omitted indiscriminately, even in palliative stages. The optimal symptoms for diagnosing depression will depend on whether a narrow concept of depression or a broad concept of depression is considered clinically important.