Interobserver Agreement for Classifying Post-liver Transplant Biliary Strictures in Donation After Circulatory Death Donors.

INTRODUCTION: Biliary strictures are a common complication of donation after circulatory death (DCD) liver transplantation (LT) and require multiple endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures. Three classification systems, based on cholangiograms, have been proposed for categorizing post-LT biliary strictures. We examined the interobserver agreement for each of the three classifications. METHODS: DCD LT recipients from 2012 through March 2017 undergoing ERCP for biliary strictures were included in the study. Initial cholangiograms delineating the entire biliary tree prior to endoscopic intervention were selected. One representative cholangiogram was selected from each ERCP. Five interventional endoscopists independently viewed each anonymized cholangiogram and classified the post-LT stricture according to each of the three classification systems. The Ling classification proposes four types of post-LT strictures based on their location. The Lee classification proposes four classes based on location and number of intrahepatic strictures. The binary system classifies strictures into anastomotic or non-anastomotic types. The Krippendorff's alpha reliability estimate was used to grade the strength of agreement as "poor," "fair," "moderate," "good," or "excellent" for values between 0-0.20, 0.21-0.4, 0.41-0.6, 0.61-0.08, and 0.81-1, respectively. RESULTS: One hundred DCD LT recipients (age 57.07 ± 8.8 years; 71 males) were initially evaluated. Of these, 49 patients who underwent 206 ERCP procedures for biliary strictures were included in the analysis. One hundred thirty-nine cholangiograms were selected and subsequently classified by five endoscopists. Interobserver agreement for post-LT biliary strictures was 0.354 for Ling classification (fair agreement), 0.405 for Lee classification (fair agreement), and 0.421 for the binary classification (moderate agreement). The binary classification provided the least amount of detail regarding the location and number of biliary strictures. DISCUSSION: The currently available classification systems for assessing post-LT biliary strictures have sub-optimal interobserver agreement. A better-designed classification system is needed for categorizing post-LT biliary strictures.

Dual Procurement of Lung and Heart Allografts Does Not Negatively Affect Lung Transplant Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The data that exists regarding multiorgan procurement outcomes is conflicted. Given the increasing demand for pulmonary allografts, it is critical to assess the impact of dual procurement on lung transplant recipient outcomes. METHODS: The United Network for Organ Sharing transplant registry was queried for all first-time adult (age ≥18) lung transplant recipients between 2006 and 2018 and stratified by concurrent heart donor status. Multiorgan transplant recipients and recipients with missing survival time were excluded. Donors were excluded if they were donating after circulatory death, did not consent or were not approached for heart donation, the heart was recovered for nontransplant purposes, or the heart was recovered for transplant but not transplanted. Post-transplant survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: A total of 18,641 recipients met inclusion criteria, including 6230 (33.4%) in the nonheart donor group (NHD) and 12,409 (66.6%) in the heart donor group (HD). HD recipients demonstrated longer survival at 10 years posttransplant, with a median survival of 6.5 years as compared with 5.9 years in NHD recipients. On adjusted analysis, HD and NHD recipients demonstrated comparable survival (AHR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90-1.01). CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant heart and lung procurement was not associated with worse survival. This finding encourages maximizing the number of organs procured from each donor, particularly in the setting of urgency-driven thoracic transplantation.

La donación de órganos en asistolia controlada tipo iii de Maastricht: implicaciones éticas y cuidados al final de la vida / Organ donation after controlled cardiac death under Maastricht category iii: Ethical implications and end of life care

El descenso en la potencialidad de donación en muerte encefálica ha determinado la necesidad de valorar fuentes alternativas y la donación en asistolia representa una buena opción. Los objetivos del presente artículo han sido describir las características de la donación de órganos controlada tipo iii de Maastricht y determinar los cuidados al final de la vida y el papel de las enfermeras en el proceso de donación. En este tipo de donación, la parada cardiocirculatoria es previsible tras la limitación de tratamientos de soporte vital. Se trata de pacientes para los que no existen opciones de terapia efectivas y, en el contexto de una práctica organizada y planificada en la que participan cada uno de los profesionales implicados en el cuidado del paciente, se toma la decisión, de acuerdo con la familia, de retirar medidas de soporte vital. Esta limitación de tratamientos de soporte vital nunca se lleva a cabo con el objetivo de realizar una donación Maastricht iii, sino con el de evitar la prolongación del proceso de morir mediante intervenciones inútiles y posiblemente degradantes. La obligación del equipo de salud es proporcionar una muerte digna y ello no solo incluye la ausencia de dolor, sino que se debe garantizar al paciente y su entorno familiar una sensación de placidez y serenidad. Una vez tomada la decisión de no instauración o retirada de medidas, la enfermera tiene un papel importante en la implementación de un plan de cuidados paliativos en el que deben participar médicos, enfermeros y paciente/familiares, y cuyo foco debe ser la dignidad y el bienestar del paciente, considerando sus necesidades físicas, psicológicas y espirituales

The decrease in potential donation after brain death has resulted in a need to evaluate alternative sources. Donation after cardiac death is a good option. The objectives of this article are to describe the Maastricht type iii controlled organ donation characteristics and to determine end-of-life care and the role of nurses in the donation process. In this type of donation, cardiocirculatory arrest is predictable after the limitation of life sustaining treatments. These are patients for whom there are no effective therapy options and, in the context of an organised and planned practice involving all the professionals involved in the care of the patient, the decision is made, in consultation with the family, to withdraw life support measures. This limitation of life sustaining treatments is never carried out with the aim of making a Maastricht iii donation, but to avoid prolonging the dying process through useless and possibly degrading interventions. The obligation of the health team is to provide a dignified death and this not only includes the absence of pain, but the patient and their family must be guaranteed a feeling of calmness and serenity. Once the decision has been taken to withhold or withdraw measures, the nurse has an important role in the implementation of a palliative care plan in where physicians, nurses and patients/families should be involved and whose focus should be on patients' dignity and comfort, considering their physical, psychological and spiritual needs

Organ donation after controlled cardiac death under Maastricht category iii: Ethical implications and end of life care. / La donación de órganos en asistolia controlada tipo iii de Maastricht: implicaciones éticas y cuidados al final de la vida.

The decrease in potential donation after brain death has resulted in a need to evaluate alternative sources. Donation after cardiac death is a good option. The objectives of this article are to describe the Maastricht type iii controlled organ donation characteristics and to determine end-of-life care and the role of nurses in the donation process. In this type of donation, cardiocirculatory arrest is predictable after the limitation of life sustaining treatments. These are patients for whom there are no effective therapy options and, in the context of an organised and planned practice involving all the professionals involved in the care of the patient, the decision is made, in consultation with the family, to withdraw life support measures. This limitation of life sustaining treatments is never carried out with the aim of making a Maastricht iii donation, but to avoid prolonging the dying process through useless and possibly degrading interventions. The obligation of the health team is to provide a dignified death and this not only includes the absence of pain, but the patient and their family must be guaranteed a feeling of calmness and serenity. Once the decision has been taken to withhold or withdraw measures, the nurse has an important role in the implementation of a palliative care plan in where physicians, nurses and patients/families should be involved and whose focus should be on patients' dignity and comfort, considering their physical, psychological and spiritual needs.

HIV+ deceased donor referrals: A national survey of organ procurement organizations.

BACKGROUND: HIV-infected (HIV+) donor organs can be transplanted into HIV+ recipients under the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act. Quantifying HIV+ donor referrals received by organ procurement organizations (OPOs) is critical for HOPE Act implementation. METHODS: We surveyed the 58 USA OPOs regarding HIV+ referral records and newly discovered HIV+ donors. Using data from OPOs that provided exact records and CDC HIV prevalence data, we projected a national estimate of HIV+ referrals. RESULTS: Fifty-five (95%) OPOs reported HIV+ referrals ranging from 0 to 276 and newly discovered HIV+ cases ranging from 0 to 10 annually. Six OPOs in areas of high HIV prevalence reported more than 100 HIV+ donor referrals. Twenty-seven (47%) OPOs provided exact HIV+ referral records and 28 (51%) OPOs provided exact records of discovered HIV+ cases, totaling 1450 HIV+ referrals and 39 discovered HIV+ donors in the prior year. These OPOs represented 67% and 59% of prevalent HIV cases in the USA; thus, we estimated 2164 HIV+ referrals and 66 discovered HIV+ cases nationally per year. CONCLUSIONS: OPOs reported a high volume of HIV+ referrals annually, of which a subset will be medically eligible for donation. Particularly in areas of high HIV prevalence, OPOs require ongoing support to implement the HOPE Act.

Aspectos de la extracción de órganos y tejidos que pueden interferir en la investigación judicial / Judicial autopsy practice in cases of deceased after the removal of organs for transplantation

La donación de órganos y tejidos de personas fallecidas es uno de los recursos más importantes con los que cuenta la medicina actual para ayudar a pacientes afectos de graves procesos patológicos, que generalmente ponen en peligro sus vidas. La Organización Nacional de Trasplantes en España realiza una labor meritoria, y representa un modelo en todo el mundo. En los casos de muerte violenta o sospechosa de criminalidad se precisa la autorización judicial para esta extracción, y recae en el médico forense la responsabilidad de emitir un dictamen sobre si la extracción puede o no interferir en la investigación de la causa de la muerte y sus circunstancias. Se debate entre la labor pericial del médico forense y su función sociosanitaria para salvar vidas. Se hace una revisión de la literatura médica, que en general defiende reducir al máximo las negativas a la extracción, o al menos que estas sean parciales. Se señala la intervención del médico forense en los casos que pueden ser más polémicos. La mejor coordinación entre los equipos de extracción, los médicos forenses e incluso las familias puede disminuir la tasa de negativas judiciales a la extracción, globalmente una de las más bajas del mundo (AU)

The donation of organs and tissues of deceased persons is one of the most important resources boasts current medicine to help patients suffering from severe pathological processes that usually endanger their lives. The Spanish National Transplant Organization performed a meritorious work, representing a model around the world. In cases of death violent or suspected of crime requires judicial authorization for this extraction, in these cases is the forensic pathologist responsible for giving an opinion on whether extraction may or not to interfere with the investigation of the cause of death and circumstances. Debates between the expert work of the forensic pathologist and its healthcare function to save lives. A review of medical literature, which generally defends to minimize the negatives to the extraction or at least that they are partial. Emphasizing the intervention of the forensic pathologist in the cases that can be more controversial. Better coordination between teams of extraction, forensic pathologist, even with families can reduce the rate of judicial refusals to extraction, globally one of the lowest in the world (AU)

Belgian modified classification of Maastricht for donors after circulatory death.

BACKGROUND: "Non-heart-beating donors," or, in a more recent and international definition, "donors after circulatory death," are a potential and additional group of deceased persons who are able to add organs to the pool. METHODS: A new classification is proposed on the basis of the result of a consensus of experts issued from all Belgian transplant centers. RESULTS: The first level of definition is simple and based on whether the situation is uncontrolled (categories I and II) or controlled (categories III, IV, and V). In category I, the patient is declared "dead on arrival" and, in category II, there is an "unsuccessful resuscitation" whether it occurred out or in the hospital for both situations. Category III is the most usual situation in which the treating physician and family are "awaiting cardiac arrest" to declare the death of the patient. Category IV is always characterized by "cardiac arrest during brain death." The special situation of the Belgian law allowing the euthanasia is elaborated in category V, "euthanasia," and includes patients who grant access to medically assisted circulatory death. Organ donation after euthanasia is allowed under the scope of donation after circulatory death. CONCLUSIONS: This classification conserves the skeleton of the Maastricht one, as it is simple and clear, but classifies easily the different donors after circulatory death types by processes for ethical issues and for the non-medical or non-specialized reader interested in the field. This is also an argument for public consideration and trust in the difficult field of organ donation.

[Donation protocol following controlled cardiac death (Maastricht type III donation). First experience]. / Protocolo de donación tras la muerte cardiaca controlada (donante tipo iii de Maastricht). Experiencia inicial.

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience with the implementation of a donation protocol following controlled cardiac death (Maastricht type III donation). DESIGN: A retrospective descriptive and observational study was made. SETTING: Intensive Care Unit of a third-level university hospital. PATIENTS: Eight patients in an irreversible state, in which withdrawal of all life support had been agreed, were evaluated as potential donors. INTERVENTIONS: Application of the adopted protocol. VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Clinical data of donors, evaluation of a donation protocol following cardiac death, warm ischemia times, and short-term outcome of the recipients. RESULTS: Eight patients were evaluated. In one case donation was not possible because no cardiac arrest developed in the 120 minutes after extubation. The 7 remaining patients were effective kidney donors. Warm ischemia times were less than 23 minutes in all cases. Although 7 of the 14 recipients suffered delayed graft function, all of them achieved good renal function. CONCLUSION: Donation after cardiac death in patients in an overwhelming and irreversible state represents a potential source of donors not previously considered in this country. The prior development of a consensus-based protocol can help increase the number of organs in combination with those obtained after brain death. In our experience, the results of kidney transplants obtained from donors after cardiac death are good, and the success of these types of protocols could be extended to other organs such as the liver and lungs.

Organ procurement and transplantation network. Final rule.

: HHS is issuing this final rule (herein referred to as ``this rule'') to add vascularized composite allografts (VCAs) as specified herein to the definition of organs covered by the rules governing the operation of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) (herein referred to as the OPTN final rule). When it enacted the National Organ Transplant Act in 1984, Congress included a definition of the term organ and authorized the Secretary to expand this definition by regulation. The Secretary has previously exercised this authority and expanded the statutory definition of organ. Prior to this rule, the OPTN final rule defined covered organs as ``a human kidney, liver, heart, lung, or pancreas, or intestine (including the esophagus, stomach, small and/or large intestine, or any portion of the gastrointestinal tract). Blood vessels recovered from an organ donor during the recovery of such organ(s) are considered part of an organ with which they are procured for purposes of this part if the vessels are intended for use in organ transplantation and labeled `For use in organ transplantation only.' '' This rule also includes a corresponding change to the definition of human organs covered by section 301 of the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984, as amended (NOTA).

Categories of donation after cardiocirculatory death.

The interest in donation after cardiocirculatory death (DCD) was renewed in the early 1990s, as a means to partially overcome the shortage of donations after brain death. In some European countries and in the United States, DCD has become an increasingly frequent procedure over the last decade. To improve the results of DCD transplantation, it is important to compare practices, experiences, and results of various teams involved in this field. It is therefore crucial to accurately define the different types of DCD. However, in the literature, various DCD terminologies and classifications have been used, rendering it difficult to compare reported experiences. The authors have presented herein an overview of the various DCD descriptions in the literature, and have proposed an adapted DCD classification to better define the DCD processes, seeking to provide a better tool to compare the results of published reports and to improve current practices. This modified classification may be modified in the future according to ongoing experiences in this field.

The reward is worth the wait: a prospective analysis of 100 consecutive organ donors.

Aggressive donor management protocols have evolved to maximize the number of procured organs. Our study assessed donor management time and the number and types of organs procured with the hypothesis that shorter management time yields increased organ procurement and transplant rates. We prospectively analyzed 100 donors managed by a regional organ procurement organization (OPO) during 2007 to 2008. Data included patient demographics, number and types of organs procured and transplanted, patient management time by the OPO, and achievement of donor preprocurement goals. One hundred consecutive organ donors were managed with a mean age 41 ± 18 years and mean management time 23 ± 9 hours; 376 organs were procured and 327 successfully transplanted. Donors managed greater than 20 hours yielded significantly more heart (5 vs 26, P < 0.01) and lung (6 vs 40, P < 0.01) procurements, more organs procured per donor (3.2 ± 1.4 vs 4.2 ± 1.6, P < 0.01), and more organs transplanted per donor (2.6 ± 1.5 vs 3.7 ± 1.8, P < 0.01) than those managed 20 hours or less. No difference in the attainment of donor management goals was observed between these populations. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, donor management times greater than 20 hours yielded increased organ procurement and transplant rates, particularly for hearts and lungs, despite no differences in the achievement of donor preprocurement management goals.

The effectiveness of United Network of Organ Sharing status 2 transplantation in the modern era.

BACKGROUND: The continued benefit of United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) status 2 transplantation in the modern era has been questioned. METHODS: We measured deterioration to higher status designations, improvement allowing delisting, and risk of death or delisting as too ill, regardless of subsequent status, from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database. Extended Cox models were used to assess the relative hazard of status 2 transplantation vs waiting after status 2 listing. The likelihood of transplantation was measured with logistic regression. RESULTS: We analyzed 14,153 candidates listed from 2003 to 2008. Within 1 year of initial listing, deterioration to status 1B occurred frequently (63%), while delisting as too well occurred rarely (2%-7%). Death or delisting as too ill occurred among 27% at 2 years after initial status 2 listing. Mortality at 2 years after status 2 transplantation was 13%. The hazard ratio (HR) after 180 days of status 2 transplantation vs waiting during or after initial status 2 listing was 0.41 (95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.55). The likelihood of transplantation was markedly diminished for women (odds ratio, 0.71; p < 0.001) and congenital heart disease (odds ratio, 0.24; p < 0.001). Death or delisting as too ill for women (HR, 1.7; p < 0.001) and congenital heart disease (HR, 3.2; p < 0.001) were substantially higher than in other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Escalation of UNOS status is common and delisting as too well is uncommon after initial status 2 listing. Despite the decreasing number of transplants provided to status 2 registrants, sub-groups of patients may be at high risk of waiting at status 1A, justifying the continued use of the status 2 designation.

New classification of ELPAT for living organ donation.

In the literature, varying terminology for living organ donation can be found. However, there seems to be a need for a new classification to avoid confusion. Therefore, we assessed existing terminology in the light of current living organ donation practices and suggest a more straightforward classification. We propose to concentrate on the degree of specificity with which donors identify intended recipients and to subsequently verify whether the donation to these recipients occurs directly or indirectly. According to this approach, one could distinguish between "specified" and "unspecified" donation. Within specified donation, a distinction can be made between "direct" and "indirect" donation.

Biliary complications after liver transplantation from maastricht category-2 non-heart-beating donors.

BACKGROUND: There are unresolved issues regarding the security of liver transplantation with non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs). Recently, an increased incidence of biliary complications, mainly intrahepatic ischemic-type biliary strictures, has been described after controlled NHBDs. METHODS: We studied the incidence and risk factors for biliary complications among uncontrolled NHBDs recipients compared with a large population of HBD recipients. RESULTS: Overall, 16.8% of patients in the HBD group and 41.7% of patients in the NHBD group suffered any type of biliary complication (P=0.66). However, the incidence of nonanastomotic biliary strictures was significantly greater in the NHBD group (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that independent risk factors for nonanastomotic strictures were hepatic artery thrombosis (relative risk; 98.7) and receiving a liver from a NHBD (relative risk; 47.1). CONCLUSIONS: If this type of donors is accepted as a source of liver organs, the high incidence of biliary complications should be considered and efforts should be made to decrease ischemic injury.

Non-heartbeating organ donation: a review.

Organ transplantation is one of the groundbreaking achievements in medicine in the 20th century. In the early days of transplantation, organs were obtained from non-heartbeating (NHB) cadavers. With time, better options for organ sources became available (for example, living-related and "brain dead" donors), and the practice of obtaining organs from NHB cadavers fell out of favor. Improvements in the field of transplantation have led to an increased demand for organs. Various strategies have been employed recently to increase the supply, one of them being non-heartbeating organ donation (NHBOD). NHBOD can take place in controlled or uncontrolled circumstances. Recently, national organizations have supported and proposed guidelines for NHBOD and to aid clinicians in identifying potential donors. Outcomes of organs obtained from NHB cadavers are comparable to those obtained from heartbeating donors. The practice of NHBOD is increasing and has proven that it can contribute to increasing organ availability.

Organ donors: heartbeating and non-heartbeating.

The limits of organ donation from heart-beating (HB) donors reached a plateau illustrated by the number of postmortem kidneys for transplantation. Programs such as the European Donor Hospital Education Program (EDHEP) and Donor Action have helped to stop a further decrease in the number instead of an expected increase. For kidneys, heart, liver, and lungs one must also explore the use of marginal donors as a possible additional source. Examples are donors with a horseshoe kidney, those at both ends of the age spectrum, and those with medical contraindication such as diabetes. We have enlarged our kidney donor pool considerably with non-heart-beating(NHB) donors. Because we preserve these kidneys in a preservation machine, we are able to perform viability testing. With glutathione S-transferase (GST) as a measure of tubular damage, we now decide whether to transplant based on GST values. For other organs, NHB donation does not seem to be an option other than for the liver when the warm ischemia time is short.

Benchmarking organ procurement organizations: a national study.

OBJECTIVE: An exploratory examination of the technical efficiency of organ procurement organizations (OPOs) relative to optimal patterns of production in the population of OPOs in the United States. DATA SOURCES: A composite data set with the OPO as the unit of analysis, constructed from a 1995 national survey of OPOs (n = 64), plus secondary data from the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and the United Network for Organ Sharing. STUDY DESIGN: The study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the technical efficiency of all OPOs. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Overall, six of the 22 larger OPOs (27 percent) are classified as inefficient, while 23 of the 42 smaller OPOs (55 percent) are classified as inefficient. Efficient OPOs recover significantly more kidneys and extrarenal organs; have higher operating expenses; and have more referrals, donors, extrarenal transplants, and kidney transplants. The quantities of hospital development personnel and other personnel, and formalization of hospital development activities in both small and large OPOs, do not significantly differ. CONCLUSIONS: Indications that larger OPOs are able to operate more efficiently relative to their peers suggest that smaller OPOs are more likely to benefit from technical assistance. More detailed information on the activities of OPO staff would help pinpoint activities that can increase OPO efficiency and referrals, and potentially improve outcomes for large numbers of patients awaiting transplants.