Association of the kidney allocation system with dialysis exposure before deceased donor kidney transplantation by preemptive wait-listing status.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether the new kidney transplant allocation system (KAS) has attenuated the advantages of preemptive wait-listing as a strategy to minimize pretransplant dialysis exposure. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of adult US deceased donor kidney transplant (DDKT) recipients between December 4, 2011-December 3, 2014 (pre-KAS) and December 4, 2014-December 3, 2017 (post-KAS). We estimated pretransplant dialysis durations by preemptive listing status in the pre- and post-KAS periods using multivariable gamma regression models. RESULTS: Among 65 385 DDKT recipients, preemptively listed recipients (21%, n = 13 696) were more likely to be white (59% vs 34%, P < 0.001) and have private insurance (64% vs 30%, P < 0.001). In the pre- and post-KAS periods, average adjusted pretransplant dialysis durations for preemptively listed recipients were <2 years in all racial groups. Compared to recipients who were listed after starting dialysis, preemptively listed recipients experienced 3.85 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 3.71-3.99) and 4.53 (95% CI 4.32-4.74) fewer average years of pretransplant dialysis in the pre- and post-KAS periods, respectively (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Preemptively wait-listed DDKT recipients continue to experience substantially fewer years of pretransplant dialysis than recipients listed after dialysis onset. Efforts are needed to improve both socioeconomic and racial disparities in preemptive wait-listing.

Director of anesthesiology for liver transplantation: existing practices and recommendations by the United Network for Organ Sharing.

A new Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing bylaw recommends that all centers appoint a director of liver transplant anesthesia with a uniform set of criteria. We obtained survey data from the Liver Transplant Anesthesia Consortium so that we could compare existing criteria for a director in the United States with the current recommendations. The data set included responses from adult academic liver transplant programs before the new bylaw. The respondent rates were within statistical limits to exclude sampling bias. All centers had a director of liver transplant anesthesia. The criteria varied between institutions, and the data suggest that the availability of resources influenced the choice of criteria. The information suggests that the criteria used in the new bylaw reflect existing practices. The bylaw plays an important role in supporting emerging leadership roles in liver transplant anesthesia and brings greater uniformity to the directorship position.

Quality assessment and performance improvement in transplantation: hype or hope?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Healthcare reform and the national quality strategy is increasingly impacting transplant practice, as exemplified by quality assessment and performance improvement (QAPI) regulations for pretransplant and posttransplant care. Transplant providers consider not just patient comorbidities, donor quality, and business constraints, but also regulatory mandates when deciding how to care for transplant candidates and recipients. This review describes transplant quality oversight agencies and regulations, and explores recent literature on the pros and cons of transplant QAPI. RECENT FINDINGS: Transplant's heavily regulated system of care and remuneration involves extensive QAPI process and outcome requirements, and assessment of lifelong, risk-adjusted data from the national, audited, publicly reported, electronic registry. Transplant is a model-integrated delivery system, with payment bundling and accountability for equitable access to high quality, efficient, cost-sensitive, and multidisciplinary care. However, transplant QAPI requires expensive resources and, to bolster wise risk-taking, novel treatments, and access to care, more nuanced risk adjustment, public reporting, and attention to geographic competitive variability. However, transplant QAPI requires expensive resources. In order to bolster wise risk-taking, novel treatments, and access to care, QAPI also requires more nuance in the areas of risk adjustment, public reporting, and attention to geographic competitive variability. SUMMARY: With its focus on innovation and on clinical outcomes, transplantation is poised to continue providing outstanding clinical care and to pioneering systems that advance patient safety, satisfaction, and resource utilization, leading in the field of QAPI and healthcare reform.

Report of a national conference on liver allocation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States.

A national conference was held to better characterize the long-term outcomes of liver transplantation (LT) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to assess whether it is justified to continue the policy of assigning increased priority for candidates with early-stage HCC on the transplant waiting list in the United States. The objectives of the conference were to address specific HCC issues as they relate to liver allocation, develop a standardized pathology report form for the assessment of the explanted liver, develop more specific imaging criteria for HCC designed to qualify LT candidates for automatic Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exception points without the need for biopsy, and develop a standardized pretransplant imaging report form for the assessment of patients with liver lesions. At the completion of the meeting, there was agreement that the allocation policy should result in similar risks of removal from the waiting list and similar transplant rates for HCC and non-HCC candidates. In addition, the allocation policy should select HCC candidates so that there are similar posttransplant outcomes for HCC and non-HCC recipients. There was a general consensus for the development of a calculated continuous HCC priority score for ranking HCC candidates on the list that would incorporate the calculated MELD score, alpha-fetoprotein, tumor size, and rate of tumor growth. Only candidates with at least stage T2 tumors would receive additional HCC priority points.

Current status of donation after cardiac death liver transplantation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The article reviews the current state of liver transplantation using allografts from donation after cardiac death (DCD), focusing on single and multicenter outcomes, best practice guidelines and emerging strategies to optimize utilization of this precious resource. RECENT FINDINGS: DCD is being embraced as one effective way to solve the organ shortage and is contributing the largest increase to the pool of liver allografts. However, ischemic cholangiopathy and substandard graft survival remain significant risks for recipients of DCD livers. Risk factors for poor outcome after DCD liver transplant (LTX) are being identified, including older donor age and longer ischemia times. Emerging practice guidelines for DCD LTX focus on donor criteria, consent, withdrawal of support, operative technique, ischemia times, recipient considerations, and biliary issues. Research is under way to further identify risk factors for DCD LTX and strategies to protect against ischemic injury, and there are efforts to standardize procurement protocols, refine data reporting and facilitate multicenter research collaboration. SUMMARY: Livers from DCD remain a partially tapped resource for patients who require transplantation. Although some centers have successful experiences with DCD LTX, there are challenges unique to this endeavor. Donor and recipient selection criteria, perioperative factors and surgical technique are each critical aspects of DCD LTX. It is important to continue to develop this field so that more DCD LTX can be safely performed.

Association between Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act and Preemptive Listings for Kidney Transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Before 2014, low-income individuals in the United States with non-dialysis-dependent CKD had fewer options to attain health insurance, limiting their opportunities to be preemptively wait-listed for kidney transplantation. We examined whether expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act was associated with differences in the number of individuals who were pre-emptively wait-listed with Medicaid coverage. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Using the United Network of Organ Sharing database, we performed a retrospective observational study of adults (age≥18 years) listed for kidney transplantation before dialysis dependence between January 1, 2011-December 31, 2013 (pre-Medicaid expansion) and January 1, 2014-December 31, 2016 (post-Medicaid expansion). In multinomial logistic regression models, we compared trends in insurance types used for pre-emptive wait-listing in states that did and did not expand Medicaid with a difference-in-differences approach. RESULTS: States that fully implemented Medicaid expansion on January 1, 2014 ("expansion states," n=24 and the District of Columbia) had a 59% relative increase in Medicaid-covered pre-emptive listings from the pre-expansion to postexpansion period (from 1094 to 1737 listings), compared with an 8.8% relative increase (from 330 to 359 listings) among 19 Medicaid nonexpansion states (P<0.001). From the pre- to postexpansion period, the adjusted proportion of listings with Medicaid coverage decreased by 0.3 percentage points among nonexpansion states (from 4.0% to 3.7%, P=0.09), and increased by 3.0 percentage points among expansion states (from 7.0% to 10.0%, P<0.001). Medicaid expansion was associated with absolute increases in Medicaid coverage by 1.4 percentage points among white listings, 4.0 percentage points among black listings, 5.9 percentage points among Hispanic listings, and 5.3 percentage points among other listings (P<0.001 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid expansion was associated with an increase in the proportion of new pre-emptive listings for kidney transplantation with Medicaid coverage, with larger increases in Medicaid coverage among racial and ethnic minority listings than among white listings.

Sonographic diagnosis and outcome of hepatic artery thrombosis after orthotopic liver transplantation in adults.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to determine the timing and frequency of symptomatic hepatic artery thrombosis in an adult orthotopic liver transplant population, the sensitivity of Doppler sonography for this diagnosis, and the clinical and sonography outcomes in this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects included all adult recipients with orthotopic liver transplants during a 10.5-year period. A retrospective review of all cases of hepatic artery thrombosis detected on angiography or at surgery was correlated with sonography findings at diagnosis. Clinical and sonography outcomes were recorded. Patients were divided into early (< 1 week) and late hepatic artery thrombosis groups. Hepatic artery thrombosis was considered primary or secondary due to treatment of other hepatic artery complications. RESULTS: Of 522 transplants, 25 (4.8%) developed hepatic artery thrombosis that was primary in 18 (3.5%), with five early (1.0%) and 13 late (2.5%), and secondary in seven (1.3%). Sensitivities of sonography compared with angiography were 100% for detection of early hepatic artery thrombosis and 72.7% for late hepatic artery thrombosis. Seventeen patients (68%) with an episode of hepatic artery thrombosis are currently alive, 11 of whom have irreversible hepatic artery thrombosis; in 10 of the 11 cases, sonography showed that collateral arterial flow had developed. The mean survival was 51.4 months in the patients with irreversible hepatic artery thrombosis, eight of whom had documented biliary or septic complications (or both). CONCLUSION: Hepatic artery thrombosis is uncommon after liver transplantation in adults. Sonography is extremely sensitive for the detection of hepatic artery thrombosis in symptomatic patients during the immediate postoperative period. Sonography becomes less sensitive as the interval between transplantation and diagnosis of hepatic artery thrombosis increases due to collateral arterial flow. Patients with irreversible hepatic artery thrombosis typically develop interval arterial collaterals that can be seen on sonography. Biliary and septic complications are common but usually are self-limited.

Mycophenolate mofetil for renal dysfunction in liver transplant recipients on cyclosporine or tacrolimus: randomized, prospective, multicenter pilot study results.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LTX) recipients with renal dysfunction may benefit from mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and reduction or discontinuation of nephrotoxic calcineurin inhibitors (CNI). The authors report the first randomized, multicenter pilot studies of this approach (one study for patients on cyclosporine [CsA] and one for those on tacrolimus [Tac]). METHODS: Patients 3 to 27 months post-LTX with greater than 20% reduced renal function since LTX, and creatinine 1.8 to 4.0 mg/dL, creatinine clearance 20 to 60 mL/min, or both, were randomized to discontinuation (group 1) or 50% reduction (group 2) of CNI dose, together with MMF 1.5 g administered twice daily and prednisone. Endpoints included measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 52 weeks after study entry and biopsy-proven rejection. RESULTS: In the CsA and Tac trials, 15 and 12 patients, respectively, completed the 52-week follow-up. In the CsA trial, the mean GFR at baseline and week 52 were 35.0 and 57.8 mL/min (>15% improvement, five of six; unchanged, one of six) for group 1 and 46.0 and 63.8 mL/min (>15% improvement, four of nine; unchanged, three of nine; >15% deterioration, two of nine) for group 2. In the Tac trial, GFRs were 55.4 and 56.0 mL/min (>15% improvement, two of five; unchanged, three of five) for group 1 and 46.7 and 60.2 mL/min (>15% improvement, four of seven; unchanged, three of seven) for group 2. Mild or moderate rejection occurred in 38% and 9% of patients in groups 1 and 2 of the CsA trial and in 14% of each group of the patients in the Tac trial. CONCLUSIONS: These pilot studies show that in LTX recipients with renal dysfunction, MMF allows CNI dose reduction or discontinuation, improving or stabilizing GFR in most patients.

Liver transplantation using an organ donor with HELLP syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The shortage of organs for liver transplantation has forced transplant centers to expand the donor pool by using donors traditionally labeled as marginal. One such example is liver transplantation using a donor with HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets), a disorder of late pregnancy that involves the liver as one of the target organs. METHODS: Two patients who died from complications of HELLP syndrome were evaluated for attempted multi-organ procurement. Donor characteristics, gross and microscopic liver findings, and procurement and transplant outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: One of the liver allografts was successfully transplanted; the other was not procured because of poor macroscopic appearance. CONCLUSION: It is possible to successfully transplant the liver from a donor that succumbs to HELLP syndrome, provided there is adequate recovery of liver function before procurement.

Long-term outcome of controlled, non-heart-beating donor liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Previous reports have established the feasibility of using livers from controlled, non-heart-beating donors (CNHBD) with good immediate graft function. This has been largely borne out of necessity because of the donor shortage. METHODS: Retrospective database review for the last 7 years (1995-2002), encompassing 19 patients receiving CNHBD, with follow-up period of 1,000 +/- 694 days, median 762 days. Detailed review of recipient characteristics, operative and clinical course, immunosuppression, complications, survival rates, and comparison with the results obtained in patients receiving transplants of allografts procured in standard fashion, from heart-beating donors RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier patient survival rates were 100%, 89.5%, and 83.5% at 30 days, 1, and 2 years, respectively, which is not different from recipients of livers procured from heart-beating cadaveric donors (P=0.74, log-rank test). Five patients died at a mean follow-up time of 492 (range 46-1,103) days. The causes of death were related to secondary sclerosing cholangitis (n=1), cardiac failure (n=1), and sepsis (n=3). Two (10.5%) recipients underwent retransplantation, one for primary graft nonfunction and one because of biliary cast syndrome with cholangitis. Significant preservation damage (ALT>2,000) developed in five patients, but this did not affect survival. The incidence of vascular (15.6% vs. 9.6%, P=0.34) and biliary complications (10.55 vs. 13.8%, P=0.68) was no different than for those recipients receiving standard cadaveric donors. CONCLUSIONS: CNHBD safely expands the donor pool with similar long-term results as those obtained in patients receiving organs from brain-dead donors under standard procurement techniques.

Combined liver and pancreas procurement from a controlled non-heart-beating donor with aberrant hepatic arterial anatomy.

BACKGROUND: The critical shortage of transplantable organs has resulted in the use of extended donors, including non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs). Combined procurement of both a whole pancreas and a liver from a single cadaver is always anatomically feasible. However, when aberrant vasculature is present, the potential for vascular injury increases. Because the rapid flush technique is used in NHBD procurement, the inability to palpate arterial pulsation may also increase the chance of vascular damage. METHODS: We report a case of a successful combined procurement of hepatic, pancreatic, and renal grafts from a controlled NHBD with right replaced and left accessory hepatic arteries. RESULT: The liver and the pancreas were successfully transplanted to two different recipients in two different institutions without any complications. All grafts are functioning well at 14 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Safe procurement of both the liver and pancreas is possible from certain controlled NHBDs, even with aberrant anatomy.

Donation after cardiac death in abdominal organ transplantation.

This article reviews the field of donation after cardiac death, focusing on the history, ethicolegal issues, clinical outcomes, best practices, operative techniques, and emerging strategies to optimize utilization of this resource. Donation after cardiac death is one effective way to decrease the organ shortage and has contributed the largest recent increase in abdominal organ allografts. Currently, donation after cardiac death organs confer an increased risk of ischemic cholangiopathy after liver transplant and of delayed graft function after kidney transplant. As this field matures, risk factors for donation after cardiac death organ transplant will be further identified and clinical outcomes will improve as a result of protocol standardization and ongoing research.

Liver transplantation in the 21st century: expanding the donor options.

Over the past decade, use of ECD organs for OLT has allowed many transplant programs to afford patients access to an otherwise scarce resource and to maintain center volume. Although overall posttransplant outcomes are inferior to results with optimal, whole-liver grafts, aggressive utilization of ECD and DCD organs significantly lowers median wait-times for OLT, MELD score at OLT, and death while awaiting transplantation. It is incumbent on the transplant community to provide continued scrutiny of the many factors involved in ECD organ utilization, evaluate the degree of risk and benefit such allografts may impart on particular recipients, and thereby provide suitable "matching" to maximize favorable outcomes. Transplant caregivers need to provide patients with evidence-based care decisions, be good stewards of a scarce resource, and maintain threshold survival results for their programs. This requires balancing the urgency with which a transplant is needed and the utility of such a transplant. There is a clear necessity to pursue additional donor research to improve use of these marginal grafts and assess interventions that enhance the safety of ECD livers.

Successful re-use of liver allografts: three case reports and a review of the UNOS database.

The donor organ shortage has compelled transplant centers to use organs from non-traditional sources. One example is the re-use of a previously transplanted organ, such as a kidney or liver. We report three cases detailing the successful re-use of liver allografts. In all three cases, the index recipient was declared brain-dead very soon post-transplant, but was felt to have a well-functioning liver graft. Important points in these cases were to ensure that the liver graft was functioning well in the index recipient, that it appeared normal per biopsy examination, and that ischemic time was kept very short at the time of the second transplant. We queried the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database for similar cases, and found 11 such cases, which we briefly describe herein.

Extended survival by urgent liver retransplantation after using a first graft with metastasis from initially unrecognized donor sarcoma.

A 58-year-old man underwent orthotopic liver transplantation for polycystic liver disease. Shortly after the procedure, it was discovered that the donor harbored a sarcoma of the aortic arch that had metastasized to the spleen, and bilateral renal cell carcinomas. The two sole organ recipients, our liver recipient and a lung recipient at another institution, were both listed for urgent retransplantation, which they received from the same second donor. The liver explant contained metastatic sarcoma. Twenty-four months survival following lung retransplantation has been previously reported. We report the 76-month disease-free survival in the liver recipient.

Safe use of livers from donors with positive hepatitis B core antibody.

Thirty-five patients received liver transplants using liver donors who had positive test results for the hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb). In the same time frame, 195 patients received HBcAb-negative liver donors. Mean follow up for patients receiving HBcAb-positive donors was 25 months. All patients receiving HBcAb-positive donors were monitored for recurrence of hepatitis B (HBV) with HBV DNA assays. There was no de novo HBV in recipients of HBcAb-negative grafts. In the group of patients receiving HBcAb-positive donors, 4 of 35 patients died within 3 months after transplant with no evidence of HBV recurrence at time of death. Four patients were transplanted for HBV-related disease and were postoperatively placed on lamivudine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG). HBV recurrence was seen in one of these patients. Of the remaining 27 patients, three of three mismatched patients (HBcAb-positive donor to HBcAb-negative recipient) developed de novo HBV (100%). Of 24 matched patients (HBcAb-positive donor to HBcAb-positive recipient), only two (7%) developed recurrent HBV allograft reinfection. All de novo and recurrent HBV infections were successfully managed with HBIG and lamivudine therapy. Survival for this subgroup of patients receiving HBcAb-positive donors for non-HBV-related liver disease was 100%. We conclude that the judicious use of HBcAb-positive donors is reasonably safe and associated with low morbidity and mortality, with the appropriate follow-up protocols. Additionally, lamivudine use can be reserved for those cases with de novo or recurrent HBV in the liver allograft, or, selectively, as prophylaxis in those recipients patients who are naïve to HBV and receive an HBcAb-positive donor.

Cigarette smoking is associated with an increased incidence of vascular complications after liver transplantation.

Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and other vascular complications are significant causes of morbidity after liver transplantation. Although cigarette smoking increases the risk of vascular complications after renal transplantation, its impact after liver transplantation remains unknown. Between May 1995 and April 2001, 288 liver transplantations were performed in 263 patients. Vascular complications developed in 39 patients (13.5%) (arterial complications, 28 patients [9.7%]; venous complications, 11 patients [3.8%]). Patient demographics, comorbid illnesses, and risk factors were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-squared test, and Fisher's exact test. In patients with a history of cigarette smoking, incidence of vascular complications was higher than in those without history of cigarette smoking (17.8% v 8%, P =.02). Having quit cigarette smoking 2 years before liver transplantation reduced the incidence of vascular complications by 58.6% (24.4% v 11.8%, P =.04). The incidence of arterial complications was also higher in patients with a history of cigarette smoking compared with those without such history (13.5% v 4.8%, P =.015). Cigarette smoking cessation for 2 years also reduced the risk of arterial complications by 77.6% (21.8% v 5.9%, P =.005). However, the incidence of venous complications was not associated with cigarette smoking. Furthermore, there was no significant association between development of vascular complications and all other characteristics studied. Cigarette smoking is associated with a higher risk for developing vascular complications, especially arterial complications after liver transplantation. Cigarette smoking cessation at least 2 years before liver transplantation can significantly reduce the risk for vascular complications. Cigarette smoking cessation should be an essential requirement for liver transplantation candidates to decrease the morbidity arising from vascular complication after liver transplantation.