An integrated program to expand donor utilization in pediatric heart transplantation: Case report of successful transplant with multiple donor risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric heart transplantation (HT) continues to be limited by the shortage of donor organs, distance constraints, and the number of potential donor offers that are declined due to the presence of multiple risk factors. METHODS: We report a case of successful pediatric HT in which multiple risk factors were mitigated through a combination of innovative donor utilization improvement strategies. RESULTS: An 11-year-old, 25-kilogram child with cardiomyopathy and pulmonary hypertension, on chronic milrinone therapy and anticoagulated with apixaban, was transplanted with a heart from a Hepatitis C virus positive donor and an increased donor-to-recipient weight ratio. Due to extended geographic distance, an extracorporeal heart preservation system (TransMedics™ OCS Heart) was used for procurement. No significant bleeding was observed post-operatively, and she was discharged by post-operative day 15 with normal biventricular systolic function. Post-transplant Hepatitis C virus seroconversion was successfully treated. CONCLUSIONS: Heart transplantation in donors with multiple risk factor can be achieved with an integrative team approach and should be taken into consideration when evaluating marginal donors in order to expand the current limited donor pool in pediatric patients.

Impact of cell-free DNA fungal polymerase chain reaction panels on healthcare-associated infection mould investigations.

Launch of in-house sensitive cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (cfDNA) mould polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays increased detection of moulds meeting suspected healthcare-associated infection (HAI) criteria. Definition was based on time from admission and mould detection in culture or via molecular methods. We created a modified mould HAI algorithm incorporating clinical context into the case definition, which allowed for better capture of possible mould HAIs, decreased number of investigations, and improved utilization of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) resources.

Use of a severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strand-specific assay to evaluate for prolonged viral replication >20 days from illness onset.

Severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) strand-specific assay can be used to identify active SARS-CoV-2 viral replication. We describe the characteristics of 337 hospitalized patients with at least 1 minus-strand SARS-CoV-2 assay performed >20 days after illness onset. This test is a novel tool to identify high-risk hospitalized patients with prolonged SARS-CoV-2 replication.

Live virus vaccination of pediatric solid organ transplant candidates within 1 month prior to transplantation: A multicenter experience.

BACKGROUND: Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are at increased risk of vaccine-preventable illness due to the high degree of immunosuppression required following transplantation. The current recommendation is to vaccinate with live attenuated vaccines, including Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) and Varicella (VAR) vaccines, at least 4 weeks prior to transplant. However, data to support the time interval between vaccine and transplant are limited. METHODS: We conduct a literature review of the natural history of the viruses and length of viremia following live-attenuated viral vaccines, and we describe a series of 5 cases from 2 pediatric transplant centers in which live attenuated viral vaccines were administered within 21 days prior to SOT. RESULTS: None of the 5 children who received MMR or VAR 8-21 days prior to liver (2) and heart (3) transplant suffered from vaccine-related viral illness after transplant, even in the presence of significant immunosuppression with T-cell-depleting agents. CONCLUSION: These cases support that shorter intervals of live vaccine administration prior to transplant may be safe, allowing the vaccination of a larger cohort of SOT candidates. Increasing pretransplant vaccinations is crucial since, in most cases, live viral vaccines are contraindicated posttransplantation, and the most effective vaccine approaches utilize prime-boost strategies, priming before and boosting after transplant.

Effects of Immigration on Infant Feeding Practices in an Inner City, Low Socioeconomic Community.

OBJECTIVE: Infant feeding practices have been shown to differ between immigrants and non-immigrants in the United States. Our study characterizes feeding practices of infants of immigrant versus American-born mothers followed in an inner city Pediatric continuity clinic serving predominantly low socioeconomic status families. METHODS: A survey was given to 102 parents of infants ranging from 12 to 15 months of age who attended the clinic. Parents were asked about their country of origin, ethnic background and time since immigration to the US. They were also asked about their breastfeeding and early infant feeding practices. Statistical significance was estimated using chi-squared tests. RESULTS: Not only were breastfeeding rates higher among immigrant mothers compared to American-born mothers (88% vs. 63%, p-value 0.008) but they introduced commercially available baby food less frequently (37% vs. 52%, p-value 0.03) and rarely fed their infants fast food (22% vs. 50%, p-value<0.001). Moreover, breast feeding rates decreased with duration of residence in the United States. 53% of immigrant mothers who have been in the United States for less than 5 years breastfed for over 6 months versus 22% of immigrant mothers who resided more than 5 years in the United States (p-value 0.02). The vast majority of immigrant mothers who switched to formula did so because they felt their milk production was insufficient (93%) whereas the vast majority of American-born mothers stopped breastfeeding because they perceived it to be painful (64%, p value 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Infant feeding practices differ between immigrant and American-born mothers and the differences diminish the longer the mothers reside in the United States. These differences stem from differences in cultural perceptions of breastfeeding. Therefore, in educating mothers about infant feeding, physicians should strongly consider cultural and ethnic factors.

HIV/AIDS among Palestinians: detection, clinical presentation, prognosis and HIV testing patterns, 1994-2010.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the detection, clinical presentation, and prognosis of West Bank and East Jerusalem Palestinians infected with HIV/AIDS, and HIV testing patterns of Palestinians in the Jerusalem area. DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a case-control analysis comparing all 33 Palestinian HIV/AIDS patients who were referred to the Hadassah AIDS Center (HAC) over 17 years (1994-2010) with 77 non-Palestinian patients seen over the same period. The systematic sampling method was used to select the control group. Patterns of HIV testing were observed for the years 2002 and 2007. RESULTS: Many Palestinian patients (36%) were diagnosed during their initial hospitalization, while 47.1% of non-Palestinians were diagnosed as outpatients. Significantly more opportunistic infections were detected during diagnosis among Palestinians (48.5%) than among non-Palestinians (9.1%, p<0.001). Overall mortality among Palestinian patients was 36.4% (12/33) vs. 6.5% (5/77) among non-Palestinians (p<0.001). No significant differences in the initial CD4 counts and viral load levels were noted between Palestinians and non-Palestinians (256/mm(3) and log 4.58 copies/ml vs. 271/mm(3) and log 4.49 copies/ml, respectively). Follow-up visits were more infrequent among Palestinians than among non-Palestinians: 9.8 (± 1.0) compared with 23.4 (± 12.9), respectively (p<0.001), over a median follow-up of 2.7 years for Palestinians and 8.1 years for non-Palestinians (p<0.001). With regard to HIV testing, 7.3% (72/989) of individuals tested in 2002 and 10.9% (202/1851) in 2007 were Palestinians. The most frequent reason for being tested among Palestinians was 'medical' (e.g., before in vitro fertilization, 69.4% in 2007); among non-Palestinians it was 'intimate relationships' (31% in 2007). CONCLUSION: These results show that despite an overall small number of Palestinian HIV/AIDS patients, late diagnosis and high mortality are very much in evidence.