Hepatitis C Screening: Barriers to Linkage to Care.

Background and Aims: Hepatitis C (HCV) is a medical and public health concern. Once infected individuals are identified, management includes not only education but also the use of antiviral therapy. Although screening for HCV is readily available, barriers exist which prevent assessment and treatment in individuals potentially infected with HCV. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients screened for HCV within the University of California, Los Angeles Health Care System between February 22 and July 9, 2018. We defined linkage to care as: 1) confirmatory HCV RNA test after screening HCV antibody test found a positive result; and 2) follow-up appointment for treatment was established with a specialist. Demographic and baseline laboratory values were collected. Factors potentially associated with prohibiting linkage of care were evaluated. Results: During the study period, 17,512 individuals were screened for HCV. A total of 238 (1.35%) were found to have detectable HCV antibodies. Of the individuals with detectable HCV antibodies, 48 (20%) did not undergo confirmatory testing with viral levels. Of the 190 individuals who underwent further testing, 70 patients were noted to be viremic. Among them, 17 of the 70 (24%) were not linked to a specialist for further care. Younger patients (p = 0.02) and people who inject drugs (p = 0.02) were less likely to be referred for specialty care. Conclusions: The results of our study highlight that younger patients and people who inject drugs are less likely to be referred to specialty care for HCV treatment. Efforts are needed to engage these populations.

Presumed Consent: A Potential Tool for Countries Experiencing an Organ Donation Crisis.

BACKGROUND: There is currently an inadequate supply of allografts to meet the number of transplant candidates worldwide. A number of controversial policies, including implementation of a presumed consent organ donation system, have been considered to rectify the organ donation crisis. AIMS: A secondary retrospective data analysis aimed to assess the impact of switching to a presumed consent organ donation model on organ donation rates. METHODS: Deceased organ donation rates were compared before and after countries adopted presumed consent. RESULTS: Six countries met entry criteria. All six countries had an increase in liver donation rates, while 4 out of the six countries had an increase in kidney donation rates. The overall mean (± SD) liver donation rate was 3.23 (± 0.97) per million population (pmp) before the transition and 6.46 (± 1.81) pmp after the transition (p < 0.0001). The overall mean (± SD) kidney donation rate was 17.94 (± 3.34) pmp before the transition and 26.58 (± 4.23) pmp after the transition (p < 0.0001). The percentage increase in liver and kidney donation rates varied among countries, ranging from 28 to 1186%. CONCLUSION: The transition from explicit to presumed consent was associated with a significant increase in liver donation rates in all countries that met our criteria, while the effect on kidney donation rates was partially realized. Although presumed consent alone is unlikely to explain the increase in donation rates, the adoption of such a policy may prove to be a worthwhile risk for countries experiencing consistently low organ donation rates.

Pretransplant Sarcopenia in Patients With NASH Cirrhosis Does Not Impact Rehospitalization or Mortality.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition and muscle wasting are common in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD), yet go underdiagnosed. Frequently used indices of nutritional status, such as body mass index, are inflated in patients with ESLD due to a fluid overloaded state. Previous work has demonstrated a strong association between psoas muscle area, a surrogate for sarcopenia, and worse survival following liver transplantation; however, the impact of sarcopenia on post liver transplant outcomes in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhosis has not been evaluated. GOALS: Describe the impact of sarcopenia in patients with NASH cirrhosis on post liver transplantation outcomes, including initial hospital length of stay, rehospitalization, and survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-center, retrospective analysis was conducted of adult liver transplants performed for NASH cirrhosis between 2002 and 2015. Sarcopenia was defined by psoas area measured at the L3 vertebra from abdominal imaging within 6 months before orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). RESULTS: A total of 146 patients were evaluated. The mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score at transplant was 34.9±7.4. Sarcopenia was present in 62% of patients and was more likely in female and Hispanic patients. There were no significant differences in length of initial hospitalization following OLT, days hospitalized within the first year post-OLT, survival at 1 year, or overall survival between sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia in patients with NASH cirrhosis and high Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores is not associated with an increase in mortality or rehospitalization following liver transplantation; however, the study findings were limited by a small sample size.