Trigeminal Amyloidoma in a Patient With Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Trigeminal amyloidoma is a rare clinical phenomenon with scarce reports in the medical literature. This report presents a case of biopsy-proven trigeminal amyloidoma in a patient with cardiac amyloidosis. This case report sheds light on the differential diagnoses that may resemble trigeminal amyloidoma and strategies for workup and treatment.

Controlled temperatures in cold preservation provides safe heart transplantation results.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the short-term outcomes of heart transplant patients who underwent SherpaPak™ donor organ preservation. METHOD: We prospectively collected the data of patients who underwent heart transplantation using SherpaPak™ system for donor organ transportation from February 2020 to March 2021. Donor and recipient demographic data, preoperative and postoperative echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters, total ischemic time and SherpaPak temperatures, vasoactive inotropic scores (VIS), primary graft dysfunction (PGD) status, intensive care unit stay, complications, and mortality during follow-up were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 39 consecutive heart transplant patients with SherpaPak system were included in the study. The mean donor age was 32.2 ± 6.7 (range: 16-46). The mean recipient age was 57.5 ± 12 (range: 19-73). The mean preoperative ejection fraction (EF) was 23.7 ± 15.4 (range: 5-75). All recipients underwent a standard bicaval technique for orthotopic heart implantation. The mean total ischemic time was 230.1 ± 41 (range: 149-342) min. The mean Sherpa temperature was 5.6 ± 0.8°C (range: 3.7-7.5). The mean VIS was 10.2 ± 6.5 (range: 2-32). The number of mild PGD was 5 (14.7%), and moderate PGD was 4 (11.8%). There was no severe PGD. The postoperative EF was 64.3 ± 5.5 (range: 50-78). Mean intubation time was 47.4 ± 64 (range: 8-312, median: 22) h. The mean time of intensive care unit stay was 6.3 ± 5 (range: 2-31, median: 5) days. Two patients required chest revision (5.8%), two patients had lung infection (5.8%). Two patients had a stroke (5.8%). There was no mortality. CONCLUSION: Using the SherpaPak system during heart transplantation is safe and not associated with significant recipient morbidity. None of the recipients experienced significant PGD and mortality.

Successful Use of Intragastric Balloon Therapy as a Bridge to Heart Transplantation.

Obesity is an important limiting factor for heart transplantation (HT) in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Achieving substantial weight loss is challenging in this population due to activity limitations and fluid retention. Endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs) including intragastric balloons (IGB) are effective primary weight loss therapies. IGBs have also been successfully utilized as a bridge therapy prior to liver transplantation and, in one case report, prior to HT. Potential advantages of IGBs in this population include low bleeding risk and less invasiveness as compared to other EBTs and surgery. We report the successful use of IGB as a bridge therapy in two patients with class II obesity and end-stage CHF requiring left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), anticoagulation, antiplatelet, and inotrope therapy.

Preoperative risk factors predict survival following cardiac retransplantation: analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing database.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to identify preoperative risk factors affecting overall survival after cardiac retransplantation (ReTX) in a contemporary era. METHODS: The United Network for Organ Sharing database was used to identify patients undergoing ReTX between 1995 and 2012. Of the total 28,464 primary transplants performed, 987 (3.5%) were retransplants. The primary outcome investigated was overall survival. The influence of preoperative donor and recipient characteristics on survival were then tested with univariate logistic regression and multivariate Cox regression models. RESULTS: Of 987 patients who underwent ReTX, median survival was 9 years. Estimated survival at 1, 3, 5, 10, and 15 years following retransplant was 80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 78%-83%), 70% (95% CI, 67%-73%), 64% (95% CI, 61%-67%), 47% (95% CI, 43%-51%), and 30% (95% CI, 25%-37%), respectively. Clinical predictors of survival using multivariable analysis included donor age (relative risk [RR], 1.14; P = .004), ischemic time > 4 hours (RR, 1.48; P = .004); preoperative support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (RR, 3.91; P < .001), and the time between previous and current transplant (P = .004). Patients with ReTX have 1.27 times higher relative risk of death compared with patients undergoing primary transplant only (RR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.13-1.42; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who undergo cardiac ReTX can expect to have a 1-year survival less than a patient undergoing primary transplant with an acceptable median overall survival. Both donor and recipient preoperative factors contribute to overall survival following cardiac ReTx. Donor characteristics include age of the donor and ischemic time. Recipient factors include the need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenator and the number of days between the first and second transplant. Optimal survival following cardiac ReTX can best be predicted by choosing patients who are farther out from their initial transplant, not dependent upon preoperative extracorporeal support, and by choosing donor hearts younger in age and those likely to have shorter ischemic times.