Importance of Sinonasal Evaluation Before Transplantation: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis and Proposal of a Screening Protocol.

OBJECTIVES: The immunocompromised status in transplant recipients promotes the development and exacerbation of rhinosinusitis. However, there are no formal guidelines on pretransplant sinonasal evaluations. Here, we aimed to identify the prevalence and mortality rates of rhinosinusitis in the transplant population and to provide an evidence-based pretransplant screening protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For our meta-analysis and systematic review of available literature, we performed an online search on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We included 27 articles for review, which included 22 articles for meta-analysis. We assessed the risk of bias on outcome by using the GRADE system. Primary outcome measures were pretransplant prevalence of rhinosinusitis and overall mortality rates. RESULTS: The prevalence of pretransplant rhinosinusitis in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients (22.2%) was significantly higher than the prevalence in solid-organ transplant recipients (3.9%) (relative risk 4.9; 95% CI, 4.2-5.6; P < .01). We found no significant difference in overall mortality between transplant recipients with or without rhinosinusitis. However, hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with pretransplant rhinosinusitis showed significantly higher risk of overall mortality (relative risk 2.8; 95% CI, 2.1-3.9; P < .05) compared with solid-organ transplant recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Our research assessed the need for a clinical pretransplant sinonasal assessment in all transplant recipients and advised for routine paranasal sinus computed tomography before hematopoietic stem cell transplant, due to the higher prevalence of rhinosinusitis and risk of mortality in this group. We also presented a proposed screening protocol on pretransplant sinonasal evaluation.

Impact of Recipient and Donor Body Mass Index on Survival Outcomes After Intestinal Transplantation: A United Network for Organ Sharing Database Analysis.

BACKGROUND Long-term patient survival after intestinal transplantation (IT) remains low compared with other organ transplants despite years of advancement in clinical experience. While patients with extremely high or low body mass index (BMI) are often considered ineligible for IT, the impact of BMI on post-transplant IT survival remains understudied. MATERIAL AND METHODS Using the United Network for Organ Sharing Standard Transplant database, we conducted a retrospective cohort study on patients who underwent IT between April 11, 1994, and September 29, 2021. We assessed the association of recipient and donor BMI at transplant with post-transplant mortality using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. RESULTS A total of 1541 patients were included in our final sample. Of these patients, 806 were females (52.5%) and most were in the normal-weight BMI subgroup (54.2%). Obese class II (mean; 36.8±10.92 years) and underweight patients (mean; 37.6±13.37 years) were significantly younger than patients in other BMI categories. The adjusted multivariate model demonstrated an increased risk of mortality in underweight IT recipients compared to normal-weight IT recipients (aHR=1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.54; P=0.032).There was no significant association between donor BMI categories and survival in IT recipients. CONCLUSIONS Recipient BMI below normal is associated with an increased risk of mortality after intestinal transplantation and represents a potentially modifiable patient characteristic to improve survival outcomes.

Impact of pre-existing frailty on survival outcomes in solid-organ transplant candidates and recipients: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is controversy surrounding the association between preexisting frailty and increased mortality in candidates and recipients of solid-organ transplants. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the impact of preexisting frailty on survival outcomes in solid-organ transplant candidates and recipients. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Web of Sciences, and Embase databases until October 2, 2023. Two reviewers independently selected the eligible studies according to the PECOS criteria: Participants (candidates and recipients of solid-organ transplants), Exposure (frailty), Comparison (no-frailty), Outcomes (waitlist or posttransplant mortality), and Study design (retrospective or prospective cohort studies). The pooled effects were summarized by pooling the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the frail patients than those without frailty. RESULTS: Sixteen studies with 10091 patients met the eligibility criteria. Depending on the frailty tools used, the prevalence of frailty in solid-organ transplant candidates/recipients ranged from 4.6 % to 45.1 %. Frailty was significantly associated with an increased risk of waitlist mortality (HR 2.44; 95 % CI 1.84-3.24) and posttransplant mortality (HR 2.23; 95 % CI 1.61-3.09) in solid-organ transplant candidates and recipients, respectively. Subgroup analyses showed that the association of preexisting frailty with waitlist mortality and posttransplant mortality appeared to stronger in kidney transplant candidates (HR 2.70; 95 % CI 1.93-3.78) and lung transplantation recipients (HR 2.52; 95 % CI 1.23-5.15). CONCLUSION: Frailty is a significant predictor of reduced survival in solid-organ transplant candidates and recipients. Assessment of frailty has the potential to identify patients who are suitable for transplantation.

Can the pan-immune-inflammation value predict gram negative bloodstream infection-related 30-day mortality in solid organ transplant patients?

BACKGROUND: The recently used pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) has not been adequately studied as a predictive marker for mortality in immunosuppressed patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of baseline PIV level as a predictor of 30-day mortality in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients with gram negative bloodstream infections (GN-BSI). METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2022, in 1104 SOT recipients. During the study period, 118 GN-BSI were recorded in 113 patients. Clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory data were collected, and mortality rates (30-day and all-cause) were recorded. RESULTS: The 113 recipients had a median age of 50 years [interquartile range (IQR) 37.5-61.5 years] with a male predominance (n = 72, 63.7%). The three most common microorganisms were as follows: 46 isolates (38.9%) of Escherichia coli, 41 (34.7%) of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 12 (10.2%) of Acinetobacter baumannii. In 44.9% and 35.6% of the isolates, production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and carbapenem resistance were detected, respectively. The incidence of carbapenem-resistant GN-BSI was higher in liver recipients than in renal recipients (n = 27, 69.2% vs n = 13, 17.6%, p < 0.001). All-cause and 30-day mortality rates after GN-BSI were 26.5% (n = 30), and 16.8% (n = 19), respectively. In the group with GN-BSI-related 30-day mortality, the median PIV level was significantly lower (327.3, IQR 64.8-795.4 vs. 1049.6, IQR 338.6-2177.1; p = 0.002). The binary logistic regression analysis identified low PIV level [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86-0.99; p = 0.04], and increased age (HR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.09; p = 0.002) as factors associated with 30-day mortality. The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that PIV could determine the GN-BSI-related 30-day mortality with area under curve (AUC): 0.723, 95% CI 0.597-0.848, p = 0.0005. CONCLUSIONS: PIV is a simple and inexpensive biomarker that can be used to estimate mortality in immunosuppressed patients, but the results need to be interpreted carefully.

Recipient donor sex combinations in solid organ transplantation and impact on clinical outcome: A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Solid organ transplantation (SOT) is a lifesaving treatment for end-stage organ failure. Although many factors affect the success of organ transplantation, recipient and donor sex are important biological factors influencing transplant outcome. However, the impact of the four possible recipient and donor sex combinations (RDSC) on transplant outcome remains largely unclear. METHODS: A scoping review was carried out focusing on studies examining the association between RDSC and outcomes (mortality, graft rejection, and infection) after heart, lung, liver, and kidney transplantation. All studies up to February 2023 were included. RESULTS: Multiple studies published between 1998 and 2022 show that RDSC is an important factor affecting the outcome after organ transplantation. Male recipients of SOT have a higher risk of mortality and graft failure than female recipients. Differences regarding the causes of death are observed. Female recipients on the other hand are more susceptible to infections after SOT. CONCLUSION: Differences in underlying illnesses as well as age, immunosuppressive therapy and underlying biological mechanisms among male and female SOT recipients affect the post-transplant outcome. However, the precise mechanisms influencing the interaction between RDSC and post-transplant outcome remain largely unclear. A better understanding of how to identify and modulate these factors may improve outcome, which is particularly important in light of the worldwide organ shortage. An analysis for differences of etiology and causes of graft loss or mortality, respectively, is warranted across the RDSC groups. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Recipient and donor sex combinations affect outcome after solid organ transplantation. While female recipients are more susceptible to infections after solid organ transplantation, they have higher overall survival following SOT, with causes of death differing from male recipients. Sex-differences should be taken into account in the post-transplant management.

Excess mortality in COVID-19-affected solid organ transplant recipients across the pandemic.

The excess mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) throughout the pandemic remains unclear. This prospective cohort study based on the Japanese nationwide registry included 1632 SOTRs diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 1, 2020, and July 31, 2022, categorized based on dominant phases of variants of concern (VOCs): Waves 1 to 3 (Beta), 4 (Alpha), 5 (Delta), 6 (Omicron BA.1/BA.2), and 7 (Omicron BA.5). Excess mortality of COVID-19-affected SOTRs was analyzed by calculating standardized mortality ratios (SMRs). Overall, 1632 COVID-19-confirmed SOTRs included 1170 kidney, 408 liver, 25 lung, 20 heart, 1 small intestine, and 8 multiorgan recipients. Although disease severity and all-cause mortality decreased as VOCs transitioned, SMRs of SOTRs were consistently higher than those of the general population throughout the pandemic, showing a U-shaped gap that peaked toward the Omicron BA.5 phase; SMR (95% CI): 6.2 (3.1-12.5), 4.0 (1.5-10.6), 3.0 (1.3-6.7), 8.8 (5.3-14.5), and 21.9 (5.5-87.6) for Waves 1 to 3 (Beta), Wave 4 (Alpha), Wave 5 (Delta), Wave 6 (Omicron BA.1/2), and Wave 7 (Omicron BA.5), respectively. In conclusion, COVID-19 SOTRs had greater SMRs than the general population across the pandemic. Vaccine boosters, immunosuppression optimization, and other protective measures, particularly for older SOTRs, are paramount.

Influence of splenic implants in the subcutaneous tissue on asplenic animals survival / Influência de implante esplênico em subcutâneo na sobrevida de animais esplenectomizados

ABSTRACT Background: The best site for splenic implant was not defined, mainly evaluating the functionality of the implant. Aim: To evaluate the effects of autogenous splenic implantation on the subcutaneous tissue in the survival of splenectomized rats. Method: Twenty-one randomly assigned rats were studied in three groups (n=7): group 1 - manipulation of the abdominal cavity and preservation of the spleen; group 2 - total splenectomy; group 3 - splenectomy and implant of the tissue removed in the subcutaneous. The animals were followed for 90 days postoperatively. Results: There was a higher mortality in groups 2 (p=0.0072) and 3 (p=0.0172) in relation to group 1. There was no difference between groups 2 and 3 (p=0.9817). Conclusion: The splenic implant in the subcutaneous is ineffective in the survival of rats submitted to splenectomy.

RESUMO Racional: O melhor sítio para implante esplênico não foi definido, principalmente avaliando a funcionalidade do implante. Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos do implante esplênico autógeno subcutâneo na sobrevida de ratos esplenectomizados. Métodos: Foram estudados 21 ratos alocados aleatoriamente em três grupos (n=7): grupo 1 - manipulação da cavidade abdominal e preservação do baço; grupo 2 - esplenectomia total; grupo 3 - esplenectomia e implante do tecido retirado no subcutâneo. Os animais foram acompanhados por 90 dias pós-operatórios. Resultados: Houve mortalidade maior nos grupos 2 (p=0,0072) e 3 (p=0,0172) em relação ao grupo 1. Não houve diferença entre os grupos 2 e 3 (p=0,9817). Conclusão: O implante esplênico no subcutâneo é ineficaz na sobrevida de ratos submetidos à esplenectomia.

Caracterização dos potenciais doadores e estrutura de unidades hospitalares que desenvolvem o transplante / Characterization of the potential donors and structure of hospital units that develops the transplantations

Objetivou-se caracterizar os potenciais doadores e descrever a estrutura onde se desenvolve o processo de doação de órgãos e tecidos para transplantes. Estudo descritivo e quantitativo realizado em seis unidades hospitalares. A amostra compôs-se por 65 potenciais doadores e a coleta de dados ocorreu entre agosto de 2010 e fevereiro de 2011. A maioria era do sexo masculino (50,8%), com até 45 anos de idade (53,8%), cuja principal causa de Morte Encefálica (ME) foi acidente vascular encefálico (53,9%) e 86,2% foram assistidos em hospital público. Quanto à estrutura, a planta física apresentou como maior inadequação a climatização (80,0%) e espaço físico (40,0%). Nos recursos materiais, verificou-se a ausência de radiologia móvel, glicosímetro e cama hospitalar, ambos com o mesmo percentual (32,3%). Nos recursos humanos, o menor quantitativo era de técnicos em enfermagem (53,8%) e na estrutura organizacional observou-se a falta de protocolos assistenciais (86,2%).Concluiu-se que a estrutura dos serviços onde se desenvolve o processo de transplante encontrou-se inadequada. Para tanto, faz-se necessário a implementação de ações complementares a fim de melhorar a estrutura dos hospitais para atender melhor aos pacientes em ME.

It was aimed to characterizing potential donors and describing the structure of the units donated of organs and tissues for transplantations. This is a descriptive and quantitative study carried in six hospitals units. The probability consisted of 65 potential donorsand the data collection occurredbetween August 2010 and February 2011. The majority were male (50.8%), with up to 45 years of age (53.8%), whose main cause of Encephalic Death (ED) was vascular encephalic accident (53.9%) and86.2% were assisted in public hospital.Regarding the structure, the physical plant presented as highest inadequacy the climatization (80.5%) and physical space (40.0%). In material resources, it was found the absence mobile radiology, glucometer and hospital bed, both of with the same percentage (32.3%).In the human resources, the smallerquantity was nursing technicians (53.8%) and in the organizational structure there was a lack of care protocols (86.2%). It was concluded that the structure of services where develops the process of transplantationit was find inadequate. For both, becomes necessary to implement of complementary actions in order to improving the structure of the hospitals to better meet patients in ED.

Long-term outcomes of children after solid organ transplantation

Solid organ transplantation has transformed the lives of many children and adults by providing treatment for patients with organ failure who would have otherwise succumbed to their disease. The first successful transplant in 1954 was a kidney transplant between identical twins, which circumvented the problem of rejection from MHC incompatibility. Further progress in solid organ transplantation was enabled by the discovery of immunosuppressive agents such as corticosteroids and azathioprine in the 1950s and ciclosporin in 1970. Today, solid organ transplantation is a conventional treatment with improved patient and allograft survival rates. However, the challenge that lies ahead is to extend allograft survival time while simultaneously reducing the side effects of immunosuppression. This is particularly important for children who have irreversible organ failure and may require multiple transplants. Pediatric transplant teams also need to improve patient quality of life at a time of physical, emotional and psychosocial development. This review will elaborate on the long-term outcomes of children after kidney, liver, heart, lung and intestinal transplantation. As mortality rates after transplantation have declined, there has emerged an increased focus on reducing longer-term morbidity with improved outcomes in optimizing cardiovascular risk, renal impairment, growth and quality of life. Data were obtained from a review of the literature and particularly from national registries and databases such as the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies for the kidney, SPLIT for liver, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and UNOS for intestinal transplantation.

Epidemiology of neglected tropical diseases in transplant recipients: review of the literature and experience of a Brazilian HSCT center / Epidemiologia das doenças tropicais negligenciadas em receptores de transplantes: revisão da literatura e experiência de um centro brasileiro

The rising success rate of solid organ (SOT) and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and modern immunosuppression make transplants the first therapeutic option for many diseases affecting a considerable number of people worldwide. Consequently, developing countries have also grown their transplant programs and have started to face the impact of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in transplant recipients. We reviewed the literature data on the epidemiology of NTDs with greatest disease burden, which have affected transplant recipients in developing countries or may represent a threat to transplant recipients living in other regions. Tuberculosis, Leprosy, Chagas disease, Malaria, Leishmaniasis, Dengue, Yellow fever and Measles are the topics included in this review. In addition, we retrospectively revised the experience concerning the management of NTDs at the HSCT program of Amaral Carvalho Foundation, a public transplant program of the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

O sucesso crescente dos transplantes de órgãos sólidos (TOS) e de células tronco-hematopoiéticas (TCTH) e as novas drogas imunossupressoras fizeram dos transplantes a primeira opção terapêutica para muitas doenças que afetam milhares de pessoas em todo o mundo. Também os populosos países em desenvolvimento investiram no crescimento de seus programas de transplante e desde então começaram a vivenciar o impacto das doenças tropicais negligenciadas (DTNs) nestes pacientes. Revisamos os dados da literatura sobre a epidemiologia das DTNs de maior impacto clinico e social que afetam receptores de transplante de países em desenvolvimento, ou que podem representar um risco para receptores de transplante vivendo em outras regiões não afetadas por estas doenças. Tuberculose, hanseníase, doença de Chagas, malaria, leishmaniose, dengue, febre amarela e sarampo são os tópicos incluídos nesta revisão. Além disso, revisamos retrospectivamente a experiência referente ao manejo das DTNs do Serviço de Transplante de Medula Óssea da Fundação Amaral Carvalho, atualmente o maior centro de TCTH alogênico do Brasil.

Registry of Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo Medical School: first official solid organ and tissue transplantation report - 2008

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report a single center experience of organ and tissue transplantation INTRODUCTION: This is the first report of organ and tissue transplantation at the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of Sao Paulo Medical School. METHODS: We collected data from each type of organ transplantation from 2002 to 2007. The data collected were patient characteristics and actuarial survival Kaplan-Meier curves at 30 days, one year, and five years RESULTS: There were a total of 3,321 transplants at our institution and the 5-year survival curve ranged from 53 percent to 88 percent. CONCLUSION: This report shows that solid organ and tissue transplants are feasible within the institution and allow us to expect that the quality of transplantation will improve in the future.

Epidemiología de la donación y el trasplante en España / Epidemiology of transplantation in Spain

Durante 2005, se registraron en España 1.546 donantes reales de órganos sólidos, lo que sitúa la tasa por millón de población (pmp) en 35,1, situando a nuestro país a la cabeza mundial en tasas de donación. Se han realizado en nuestro país 2.200 trasplantes renales durante el año 2005 de los que 72 eran trasplantes infantiles. La tasa de trasplante renal de cadáver por millón de población se sitúa en 47,9 lo que nos coloca a la cabeza mundial de este tipo de trasplantes. En la memoria del año 2005 del Registro Español de Trasplante Renal la mortalidad de los pacientes trasplantados es 1,6%. La supervivencia del injerto al año se encuentra entre el 90 y el 84% y a los 5 años entre el 76 y el 66%. También se han realizado durante el año 2005 un total de 1.070 trasplantes hepáticos (24,1 trasplantes por millón de habitantes). La supervivencia del paciente era de 81,3% al año, del 73,3% a los 3 años, de 56,7% a los 10 años y de 26,8% a los 20 años. Se han realizado durante el último año 287 trasplantes cardíacos (6,5 trasplantes pmp). La supervivencia del paciente al año se encuentra entre el 86 y el 81% al año y alrededor del 70% a los 5 años. Durante el último año se han realizado 167 trasplantes pulmonares de los cuales 112 fueron bipulmonares y 55 unipulmonares. La supervivencia del paciente en esta modalidad de trasplante al año es de 79,3% y a los 5 años de 45,2%. Por último, la actividad trasplantadora de páncreas se ha incrementado notablemente en los últimos años habiendo realizado 96 trasplantes en el año 2005 (AU)

During 2005, 1546 true solid organ donors were registered in Spain, yielding a rate of 35.1 per million population (pmp), which places our country at the head of word-wide donation rates. A total of 2200 kidney transplantations were performed in Spain during 2005, 72 of them in infants and children. The cadaveric kidney transplantation rate was 47.9 pmp, the highest in the world for this type of transplant. The 2005 Spanish Renal Transplant Registry showed that patient mortality associated with these transplants is 1.6%. Graft survival is 90% to 84% at the first year and 76% to 66% at 5 years. Furthermore, in 2005, 1070 liver transplantations (24.1 pmp) were carried out. Patient survival in this group is 81.3% the first year, 73.3% at 3 years, 56.7% at 10 years and 26.8% at 20 years. A total of 287 heart transplantations were undertaken (6.5 pmp). Patient survival is 86% to 81% the first year, and around 70% at 5 years. There were 167 lung transplantations, 112 double and 55 single lung transplants. Patient survival in this population is 79.3% the first year and 45.2% at 5 years. Lastly, pancreas transplant activity has increased considerably in recent years, with 96 transplants during 2005 (AU)