The psychology, legality, ethics and medical aspects of organ donation by minors

Any individual who has not attained the chronological age of legal majority as per national law is termed a minor. The concept of living donation (LD) has always been a subject of ethical debate and further compounding the controversy is the question of LD by minors. The decision for a minor to donate poses a special challenge as it involves a close family unit of parent-child relationship. Such an emotionally loaded situation wherein questions of attachment, perceived duties, moral obligation are likely to cloud a truly informed consent on the part of the minor to donation, who may find themselves in a vulnerable position. Furthermore, a minor's cognitive ability to comprehend the gravity of LD and when required defy parental coercion need to be elucidates before a minor is accepted for LD. Experts have set out stringent conditions which need to be met prior to the exceptional circumstance that a minor is considered for organ donation. Such donations should require parental permission, child's assent and the involvement of a paediatric-trained donor advocacy team. This article debates the question of minors acting as live donors from ethical, medical, psychosocial and legal viewpoints with an aim to present internationally defined circumstances when a minor may morally participate as a LD, thereby laying the foundation for future deliberations in this regard using traditional metrics to juxtapose divergent courses of action.

Living Donor Whole and Partial Liver Grafts, Deceased Donor Whole Liver and SPLIT: Outcome Comparison

BACKGROUND

Currently, graft options for pediatric liver transplantation (PLT) include whole (WL) and partial (P) grafts, in the form of either deceased donor transplantation (DD) or living donor liver transplantation (LD). WL transplants from LD are commonly referred to as domino LT. The objective of this manuscript is to compare the outcomes of PLT performed with each of the available graft options.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study from Jan. 2010 to Dec. 2022. The variables included data on the recipients' preoperative clinical status, intraoperative technical aspects, post-operative complications, and survival studies. There were 4 groups: SPLIT (17), DD-WL (55), LD-WL (824), and LD-P (22).

RESULTS

The median age and BW of the recipients was smaller in SPLIT, LD-P, and LD-WL compared to DDT-WL groups. HVOO (HR 15.87, 95% CI 1.89-133.06, P = 0.01), retransplantation (HR 7.94, 95% CI 2.63-24.02, P < 0.01), and malignancies (HR 3.08, 95% CI 1.29-7.37, P = 0.01) were independently associated with decreased patient survival. HAT (HR 27.54, 95% CI 10.44-72.68, P < 0.01) and malignancies (HR 2.42, 95% CI 1.10-5.34, P = 0.03) increased the risk of graft loss. The overall survival in this series was 91.4% (mean follow-up of 74.3 months). Patient and graft survival were not different among groups.

CONCLUSION

HAT and malignancies were associated with reduced graft survival. Whole liver from living donors with MSUD presented 100% patient survival at 120 months. Even without statistical differences in survival among the studied groups, LD-P and LD-WL recipients presented a trend towards better outcomes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

LEVEL III.

Arterial ligation in the context of living donor nephrectomy: Which device to employ? Experience feedback on an automatic vascular clamp

The choice of arterial ligation modality in the context of nephrectomies for living kidney donation poses a significant challenge. Due to the contraindication of Hem-O-Lock™ clips for this indication and the discontinuation of certain commercially available ligature devices suitable for this purpose, this issue remains particularly relevant. We report a serious adverse event with an arterial ligation device (Signia™ Stapling System, Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland). We observed intraoperative dislodgement of clips from the stump of the renal artery, resulting in significant bleeding and necessitating an emergency conversion to a subcostal approach. The experiential insights from each transplantation team regarding ligation modalities and the rigorous evaluation of medical devices are crucial imperative to ensure the donor's safety.

Robotic donor nephrectomy: optimizing outcomes beyond the limitations of laparoscopy

BACKGROUND

Robotic donor nephrectomy (RDN) has emerged as a safe alternate to laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN), offering improved visualization, instrument dexterity and ergonomics. There is still concern about how to safely transition from LDN to RDN.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of 150 consecutive living donor operations (75 LDN and 75 RDN) at our center, comparing the first 75 RDN's with the last 75 LDN's performed prior to the initiation of the robotic transplant program. Operative times and complications were used as surrogates of efficiency and safety, respectively, to estimate the learning curve with RDN.

RESULTS

RDN was associated with a longer total operative time (RDN 182 vs LDN 144 min; P < 0.0001) but a significantly shorter post-operative length of stay (RDN 1.8 vs LDN 2.1 days; P = 0.0213). Donor complications and recipient outcomes were the same between both groups. Learning curve of RDN was estimated to be about 30 cases.

CONCLUSIONS

RDN is a safe alternate to LDN with acceptable donor morbidity and no negative impact on recipient outcomes even during the early part of the RDN learning curve. Surgeon preferences for the robotic approach compared to traditional laparoscopy will require further scrutiny to improve ergonomics and operative efficiency.

Global dissemination of minimally invasive living donor hepatectomy: What are the barriers?

Minimally invasive donor hepatectomy (MIDH) is a relatively novel procedure that can potentially increase donor safety and contribute to faster rehabilitation of donors. After an initial period in which donor safety was not effectively validated, MIDH currently seems to provide improved results, provided that it is conducted by experienced surgeons. Appropriate selection criteria are crucial to achieve better outcomes in terms of complications, blood loss, operative time, and hospital stay. Beyond a pure laparoscopic technique, various approaches have been recommended such as hand-assisted, laparoscopic-assisted, and robotic donation. The latter has shown equal outcomes compared to open and laparoscopic approaches. A steep learning curve seems to exist in MIDH, mainly due to the fragility of the liver parenchyma and the experience needed for adequate control of bleeding. This review investigated the challenges and the opportunities of MIDH and the barriers to its global dissemination. Surgeons need expertise in liver transplantation, hepatobiliary surgery, and minimally invasive techniques to perform MIDH. Barriers can be categorized into surgeon-related, institutional-related, and accessibility. More robust data and the creation of international registries are needed for further evaluation of the technique and the acceptance from more centers worldwide.

Propensity score-matched analysis of long-term outcomes for living kidney donation in alternative complement pathway diseases: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Atypical hemolytic syndrome (aHUS) and C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) are complement-mediated rare diseases with excessive activation of the alternative pathway. Data to guide the evaluation of living-donor candidates for aHUS and C3G are very limited. The outcomes of living donors to recipients with aHUS and C3G (Complement disease-living donor group) were compared with a control group to improve our understanding of the clinical course and outcomes of living donation in this context.

METHODS

Complement disease-living donor group [n = 28; aHUS(53.6%), C3G(46.4%)] and propensity score-matched control-living donor group (n = 28) were retrospectively identified from 4 centers (2003-2021) and followed for major cardiac events (MACE), de novo hypertension, thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), cancer, death, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria after donation.

RESULTS

None of the donors for recipients with complement-related kidney diseases experienced MACE or TMA whereas two donors in the control group developed MACE (7.1%) after 8 (IQR, 2.6-12.8) years (p = 0.15). New-onset hypertension was similar between complement disease and control donor groups (21.4% vs 25%, respectively, p = 0.75). There were no differences between study groups regarding last eGFR and proteinuria levels (p = 0.11 and p = 0.70, respectively). One related donor for a recipient with complement-related kidney disease developed gastric cancer and another related donor developed a brain tumor and died in the 4th year after donation (2, 7.1% vs none, p = 0.15). No recipient had donor-specific human leukocyte antigen antibodies at the time of transplantation. Median follow-up period of transplant recipients was 5 years (IQR, 3-7). Eleven (39.3%) recipients [aHUS (n = 3) and C3G (n = 8)] lost their allografts during the follow-up period. Causes of allograft loss were chronic antibody-mediated rejection in 6 recipients and recurrence of C3G in 5. Last serum creatinine and last eGFR of the remaining patients on follow up were 1.03 ± 038 mg/dL and 73.2 ± 19.9 m/min/1.73 m2 for aHUS patients and 1.30 ± 0.23 mg/dL and 56.4 ± 5.5 m/min/1.73 m2 for C3G patients.

CONCLUSION

The present study highlights the importance and complexity of living related-donor kidney transplant for patients with complement-related kidney disorders and motivates the need for further research to determine the optimal risk-assessment for living donor candidates to recipients with aHUS and C3G.

The impact of low recipient weight [≤ 7kg] on long-term outcomes in 1078 pediatric living donor liver transplantations

BACKGROUND

infants who require liver transplantation represent a treatment challenge because chronic liver disease at this early age affects the child's growth and development during a critical phase. The aim is to compare demographics, operative data, and long-term outcomes according to recipient weight at the time of LDLT.

METHODS

This retrospective study included primary LDLT analyzed in 2 groups: BW ≤ 7 kg (n = 322) and BW > 7 kg (n = 756). A historical comparison between periods was also investigated.

RESULTS

BW ≤ 7 kg had significantly lower height/age and weight/age z-scores, with median PELD score of 19. Transfusion rates were higher in the BW ≤ 7 kg group (30.9 ml/kg versus 15.5 ml/kg, P < 0.001). Higher frequencies of PV complications were seen in the BW ≤ 7 kg cohort. HAT and retransplantation rates were similar. Those with BW ≤ 7 kg required longer ICU and hospital stays. Patient and graft survival were similar. Patient survival in BW≤ 7 kg was significantly better in the most recent period.

CONCLUSION

Malnutrition and advanced liver disease were more frequent in BW ≤ 7 kg. Despite increased rates of PVT and longer hospital stay, patient and graft long-term survival were similar between groups.

Quality of life, depression and anxiety in potential living liver donors for pediatric recipients: A retrospective single center experience

BACKGROUND

Living donor liver transplantation is a safe alternative for patients on a liver transplant list. Donor evaluation goes beyond physical variables to include social, emotional, and ethical aspects. The role of pre-donation sociopsychological evaluation of the donor candidate is as important to the success of the procedure as is the medical assessment. Success implies recovery from the operation and prompt engagement in pre-transplant professional and social activities, without leading to psychological or physical distress. Psychological profiling of potential living liver donors (PLLD) and evaluation of quality of life (QOL) can influence outcomes.

AIM

To evaluate the socio-demographics and psychological aspects (QOL, depression, and anxiety) of PLLD for pediatric liver transplantation in a cohort of 250 patients.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of 250 PLLD who underwent psychological pre-donation evaluation between 2015 and 2019. All the recipients were children. The Beck anxiety inventory, Beck depression inventory, and 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) scores were used to evaluate anxiety (Beck anxiety inventory), depression (Beck depression inventory), and QOL, respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 250 PLLD were evaluated. Most of them were women (54.4%), and the mean age was 29.2 ± 7.2 years. A total of 120 (48.8%) PLLD were employed at the time of evaluation for donation; however, most had low income (57% earned < 2 times the minimum wage). A total of 110 patients (44%) did not finish the donation process, and 247 PLLD answered a questionnaire to evaluate depression, anxiety, and QOL (SF-36). Prevalence of depression was of 5.2% and anxiety 3.6%. Although most of the PLLD were optimistic regarding the donation process and never had doubts about becoming a donor, some traces of ambivalence were observed: 46% of the respondents said they would feel relieved if a deceased donor became available.

CONCLUSION

PLLD had a low prevalence of anxiety and depression. The foundation for effective and satisfactory results can be found in the pre-transplantation process, during which evaluations must follow rigorous criteria to mitigate potential harm in the future. Pre-donation psychological evaluation plays a predictive role in post-donation emotional responses and mental health issues. The impact of such findings on the donation process and outcomes needs to be further investigated.

Apolipoprotein L1 Opinions of African American Living Kidney Donors, Kidney Transplant Patients, and Nonpatients

INTRODUCTION

The discovery of apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1) has raised important ethical and clinical questions about genetic testing in the context of living and deceased kidney donation. Largely missing from this discussion are the perspectives of those African Americans (AA) most likely to be impacted by ApoL1 testing.

METHODS

We surveyed 331 AA potential and former living kidney donors (LKDs), kidney transplant candidates and recipients, and nonpatients at three United States transplant programs about their ApoL1 testing attitudes.

RESULTS

Overall, 72% felt that transplant programs should offer ApoL1 testing to AA potential LKDs. If a potential LKD has the high-risk genotype, 79% felt that the LKD should be allowed to make their own donation decision or participate in shared decision-making with transplant doctors. More than half of the potential LKDs (58%) would undergo ApoL1 testing and 81% of former LKDs would take the test now if offered. Most transplant candidates expressed a low likelihood of accepting a kidney from a LKD (79%) or a deceased donor (67%) with the high-risk genotype.

CONCLUSIONS

There is strong support among LKDs and transplant patients for ApoL1 testing when evaluating potential kidney donors of African ancestry. Inclusion of AA stakeholders in developing guidelines and educational programs for ApoL1 testing is critical.

[Legislaction, ethics and kidney transplantation.]

Kidney transplantation (KT) is the best therapeutic option for patients with end-stage renal disease in terms of survival, quality of life and cost-effectiveness. The fundamental difference of KT with respect to other therapies is that the process depends on the availability of organs for clinical use, availability that is insufficient to cover the increasing transplantation needs of the population. Another relevant feature of transplantation is that it entails a risk of transmission of diseases from donor to recipient, a risk that can be minimized, but not completely eliminated. Due to its characteristics and its unique nature (the human being), KT requires a specific regulation that guarantees the protection of all those who participate in the process: donors and their families, patients in need of a transplant, recipients of organs and healthcareprofessionals involved. In this article, we reviewthe ethical-legal standards that regulate the practice of kidney donation and transplantation at the international level and analyze the ethical-legal framework that is applicable in Spain.

Laterality in laparoscopic hand assisted donor nephrectomy - Does it matter anymore? Outcomes of a large retrospective series

This retrospective study was performed to analyse if laterality of the retrieved living donor kidney had any effect on donor and recipient outcomes after hand assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (HALDN). 739 donors who underwent HALDN between January 2006 and January 2018 at a large tertiary transplant centre in the United Kingdom were included. Donor outcomes in individuals undergoing right versus left HALDN were compared with respect to conversion rates, morbidity, warm and cold ischaemia times and recipient failure rates, vascular and ureteric complications. 604 (81.7%) underwent left HALDN and 135 (18.3%) underwent right HALDN, mean age was 47.1 years and 46.8 years respectively with comparable gender distribution. The operative time was shorter for the left side (p = 0.003) and improved during the study for the left but not the right side. In recipients who received left kidneys there were more early technical failures observed (8 versus 1) though not statistically significant. Most centres prefer performing a left nephrectomy and recipient surgeons prefer a left kidney for transplantation primarily because of having a longer vein. This large study provides reassurance that right HALDN nephrectomy is a safe procedure with similar outcomes to left HALDN.

Remnant renal volume can predict prognosis of remnant renal function in kidney transplantation donors: a prospective observational study

Background

Safety and survival during and after donor nephrectomy (DN) are one of the main concerns in living kidney donors (LKDs). Therefore, kidney (left/right) to be procured should be determined after considering the difficulty of DN, as well as the preservation of remnant renal function (RRF). In this prospective study, we investigated the roles of computed tomography volumetry (CTV) in split renal function (SRF) and established a predictive model for RRF in LKDs.

Methods

We assessed 103 LKDs who underwent DN at our institute. The Volume Analyzer SYNAPSE VINCENT image analysis system were used as CTV. RRF was defined as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 12 months after DN. The association between various factors measured by CTV and RRF were investigated, and a role of CTV on prediction for RRF was assessed.

Results

The median age and the preoperative eGFR were 58 years and 80.7 mL/min/1.73m², respectively. Each factor measured by CTV showed an association with RRF. The ratio of remnant renal volume to body surface area (RRV/BSA) could predict RRF. In addition, RRV/BSA could predict RRF more accurately when used together with age and 24-h creatinine clearance (CrCl).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that RRV/BSA measured by CTV can play an important role in predicting RRF, and a comprehensive assessment including age and CrCl is important to determine the kidney to be procured.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12882-021-02568-8.

Organ-Specific Monitoring of Solitary Kidney after Living Donation by Using Markers of Glomerular Filtration Rate and Urinary Proteins

BACKGROUND

Effective follow-up after living kidney donation is important for maintaining the renal function of the donor. We investigated whether the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary protein and enzyme levels can provide important information regarding the state of the remaining kidney after donor nephrectomy.

METHODS

Seventy-five living donations were included (prospective/retrospective) in the study. The following parameters were measured up to 1 year after donor nephrectomy: serum creatinine and cystatin C as markers of the GFR; the high-molecular-weight urinary proteins as markers of glomerular injury; and the low-molecular-weight urinary proteins and urinary enzymes as markers of tubular function.

RESULTS

One year after kidney donation, the creatinine and cystatin C values were 1.38-fold increased than their initial values, while the eGFR was 32% lower. At that time, 38% of donors had a moderate or high risk of CKD progression. The biochemical urinary glomerular and tubular kidney markers examined showed different behaviors. After a transient increase, the glomerular proteins normalized. Conversely, the detection of low-molecular-weight urinary proteins and enzymes reflected mild tubular damage at the end of the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that for the evaluation of mild tubular damage, low-molecular-weight marker proteins should be included in the urine diagnostic of a personalized living kidney donor follow-up.

The Human Organ Transplantation Act in Bangladesh: Towards Proper Family-Based Ethics and Law

The Human Organ Transplantation Act came into officially force in Bangladesh on April 13, 1999, allowing organ donations from both living and brain-dead donors. The Act was amended by the Parliament on January 8, 2018, with the changes coming into effect shortly afterwards on January 28. The Act was revised to extend a living donor pool from close relatives (e.g., parents, adult sons and daughters, adult brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts from both the paternal and maternal sides, and spouses) to include certain other relatives such as grandparents, grandchildren, and first cousins (Section 2:4). The Act was also revised to allow individuals to prioritize family members in receiving their organs after their death (Section 7c:3). The aim of this paper is not to carry out an ethical analysis of the Act as a whole but only to focus on aspects relating to priority access for family members to organs. Despite Islam encouraging Muslims to be sympathetic, and to save the life of any member of humankind (Quran 5:32), saving the life of a relative through organ donation is even more highly valued. The collective and extended structure of the family impacts on the provisions of the Act that only allows Bangladeshis to legally donate their organs to save the lives of relatives and allows individuals to prioritize family members. Recent progress in the practice of organ transplantation raises a number of ethical dilemmas around the allocation of available organs in the context of organ scarcity. A key purpose of introducing incentive into the system of organ allocation is to increase the number of donations from living relatives and initiation of vital organ donations from brain-dead donors. However, allocation criteria based on a living organ donation incentive system would appear to be unethical because there is no provision in the Act with regard to financial compensation for a distant relative donor’s post-operative care in the absence of healthcare coverage. Receiving organs from a distant relative without giving financial compensation for post-operative care places them in a grave health condition and violates the biomedical principle of non-maleficence. An incentive system around brain-dead donors would appear to be ethical as the amended Act allows individuals to prioritize relatives in receiving their organs after death. This provision is intended to initiate the transplantation of vital organs (e.g., kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, bone marrow) from brain-dead donors as families might bear the cost of keeping the organs alive for transplantation. Regular reassessment of the impact of the Act is necessary to maximize the donation rate of transplantable organs using ethical means.

Kidney Exchange Program Reporting Standards: Evidence-Based Consensus From Europe

Background: Kidney Exchange Programs can play an important role to increase access to the life saving and most cost-effective treatment for End Stage Renal Disease. The rise of national KEPs in Europe brings a need for standardized performance reporting to facilitate the development of an international evidence base on program practices.

Methods: We systematically searched and reviewed the literature to extract kidney exchange program performance measures. Reported measures were initially categorized as structure, process, and outcome measures. Expert feedback was used to redefine categories and extend the set of measures to be considered. Using the Delphi method and a panel of 10 experts, the resulting measures were subsequently classified as mandatory (Base set), optional (Extended set), or deleted.

Results: Out of the initial 1,668 articles identified by systematic literature search, 21 European publications on kidney exchange programs were included to collect performance measures, accompanied by three national program reports. The final measurement categories were Context, Population, Enrollment, Matching, Transplantation, and Outcomes. The set of performance measures resulting from the literature review was modified and classified as mandatory or optional. The resulting Base set and Extended set form the kidney exchange program reporting standard.

Conclusions: The evidence-based and consensus-based kidney exchange program reporting standard can harmonize practical and scientific reporting on kidney exchange programs, thus facilitating the advancement of national programs. In addition, the kidney exchange program reporting standard can promote and align cross-national programs.

[Rehabilitation after kidney transplantation]

Hintergrund

Durch strukturierte (Langzeit‑)Nachsorge nach Nierentransplantation und Nierenlebendspende können Risikofaktoren für Transplantatüberleben und Nierenfunktion und für die physische wie psychische Morbidität unterschiedlichster Genese detektiert und gebessert werden. Neben den klassischen kardiovaskulären Risikofaktoren zählen hierzu eine mangelnde Adhärenz des Patienten, Wissensdefizite im Hinblick auf Verhaltensregeln nach Transplantation und Lebendspende, Bewegungsmangel, mangelnde Coping-Strategien oder auch arbeitsmedizinische und sozialrechtliche Belange.

Ziel der Arbeit

Es soll dargestellt werden, wie Rehabilitationsmaßnahmen die Nachsorge nach Nierentransplantation und Lebendspende optimieren können, worauf sich der Rehabilitationsbedarf begründet, welche Ziele verfolgt werden und welche multidisziplinären Therapiemodule sich etabliert haben.

Material und Methoden

Hierfür dienen neben einer Literaturrecherche die Erfahrungen einer Rehabilitationsklinik, die seit dem Jahr 2000 Rehabilitationen nach Nierentransplantation und nach Lebendspende anbietet und etwa 600 Patienten pro Jahr behandelt.

Ergebnisse

Spezialisierte Rehamaßnahmen mit nephrologischem und transplantationsmedizinischem Schwerpunkt können die ambulante Nachsorge nach Nierentransplantation und Nierenlebendspende sinnvoll ergänzen, wenn die Rehabilitationsklinik konzeptionelle, personelle und strukturelle Qualitätsanforderungen erfüllt. Eine enge Kooperation der Rehaklinik mit dem Transplantationszentrum und den behandelnden Nephrologen ist essenziell.

Diskussion

Kontrollierte Studien zur Langzeitnachsorge unter Einbeziehung der stationären Rehabilitation sind anzustreben. Auch Prärehabilitation sollte in diesen Kontext einbezogen werden.

Amplifying the Patient Voice: Key Priorities and Opportunities for Improved Transplant and Living Donor Advocacy and Outcomes During COVID-19 and Beyond

Purpose of Review

To define patient advocacy and engagement for modern transplant and living donation care, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, describe the patient experience when transplant advocacy and engagement are optimized, and recommend opportunities for advocacy within three key areas: (1) including the patient voice in healthcare decisions and drug development, (2) access to the best evidence-based treatments and informed decision-making, and (3) present and future care innovations and policies.

Recent Findings

There are many avenues for transplant and living donation advocacy and engagement at the patient, provider, family, system, community, and policy levels. Key recommendations include the following: (1) simplifying education to be health literate, written at the appropriate reading level, culturally sensitive, and available in multiple languages and across many delivery platforms, (2) inviting transplant patients and donors to the conversation through advisory panels, consensus conferences, and new mediums like digital storytelling and patient-reported outcomes (PROs), (3) training all members of the health team to understand their role as advocates, and (4) advancing policies and programs that support the financial neutrality of living donation, and support recipients with the cost of immunosuppressive drugs. Key recommendations specific to the COVID-19 pandemic include providing up-to-date, health literate, concise information about preventing COVID-19 and accessing care including telehealth.

Summary

Enhancing advocacy and engagement for transplant patients and donors along the pre-to-post transplant/donation continuum can improve clinical outcomes and quality of life generally, and more so, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Application of the 2017 KDIGO Guideline for the Evaluation and Care of Living Kidney Donors to Clinical Practice

The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2017 "Clinical Practice Guideline on the Evaluation and Care of Living Kidney Donors" was developed to assist medical professionals who evaluate living kidney donor candidates and provide care before, during, and after donation. This guideline Work Group concluded that a comprehensive approach to donor candidate risk assessment should replace eligibility decisions on the basis of assessments of single risk factors in isolation. To address all issues important to living donors in a pragmatic and comprehensive guideline, many of the guideline recommendations were on the basis of expert consensus opinion even when no direct evidence was available. To advance available evidence, original data analyses were also undertaken to produce a "proof-of-concept" risk projection model for kidney failure. This was done to illustrate how the community can advance a new quantitative framework of risk that considers each candidate's profile of demographic and health characteristics. A public review by stakeholders and subject matter experts as well as industry and professional organizations informed the final formulation of the guideline. This review highlights the guideline framework, key concepts, and recommendations, and uses five patient scenarios and 12 guideline statements to illustrate how the guideline can be applied to support living donor evaluation and care in clinical practice.

Introduction of an enhanced recovery protocol into a laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy programme

INTRODUCTION

Living-donor renal transplantation is the optimal treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease. The rate of living donation in the UK is sub-optimal, and potential donor concerns regarding postoperative recovery may be contributory. Enhanced recovery programmes are well described for a number of surgical procedures, but experience in living-donor surgery is sparse. This study reports the impact of introducing an enhanced recovery protocol into a living-donor renal transplant programme.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomy over a 25-month period were included. The principles of enhanced recovery were fluid restriction, morphine sparing and expectation management. Outcome measures were postoperative pain scores and complications for donor and recipients.

RESULTS

Standard care was provided for 24 (30%) patients and 57 (70%) followed an enhanced recovery pathway. The latter group received significantly less preoperative intravenous fluid (0ml vs 841ml p < 000.1) and opiate medication (14.83mg vs 23.85mg p = 0.001). Pain scores, postoperative complications and recipient transplant outcomes were comparable in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhanced recovery for living-donor nephrectomy is a safe approach for donors and recipients. Application of these techniques and further refinement should be pursued to enhance the experience of living donors.

[Current political aspects of transplantation medicine in Germany: Organ donation in contradiction?]

Despite the claimed high organ donation willingness in Germany, the real numbers for organ donation are far below the international average. About 8000 patients in Germany are waiting for a transplant kidney, of which only a fraction, after years of waiting, can be treated with a suitable transplant. Further changes to the transplantation law to improve organ donation in Germany were recently adopted. However, it remains the demand for a reorganization of organ donation towards the opting out solution. The political decision on this is at the time of delivery of the article.

Living Kidney Donation in a Type 1 Dent's Disease Patient from His Mother

INTRODUCTION

Dent's disease is a rare X-linked recessive disorder that manifests in childhood or early adulthood and can lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It occurs in males, who are hemizygous. In patients who develop ESRD, a deceased donor kidney transplant cures the disease. Females are obligate carriers of the mutated gene, and some show a mild Dent's disease phenotype. There may be reason for concern when considering a female obligate carrier (i.e., the mother) for kidney donation because of the risk of kidney function deterioration.

CASE PRESENTATION

We describe the first successful kidney transplantation involving a patient with type 1 Dent's disease and ESRD given a kidney by an obligate carrier of the gene mutation, his mother.

CONCLUSIONS

After careful assessment of the female obligate carriers, intrafamilial kidney donation in Dent's disease type 1 is feasible. No deteriorating renal function in the donor was observed.

Structured introduction of retroperitoneoscopic donor nephrectomy provides a high level of safety and reduces the physical burden for the donor compared to an anterior mini incision: A cohort study

INTRODUCTION

A major goal in living donor kidney transplantation is to reduce the physical burden for the donor. Key-hole surgery for donor nephrectomy is a safe procedure, but concerns regarding donor safety during the learning phase might be the reason for surgeons' reluctance to change to a minimal invasive approach.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We analyzed the first 100 retroperitoneoscopic donor nephrectomies (RPDN) performed at our institution and compared the results to the last 50 mini incision donor nephrectomies (MIDN) regarding donor and recipient outcome, and analyzed the learning curves of RPDN.

RESULTS

The learning phase of RPDN was very short with significantly shorter operative times compared to MIDN (118 vs. 175 min, p < 0.001) and significantly fewer surgical complications (p = 0.03). RPDN patients rated the physical burden (p = 0.01) as lower, and they felt less bothered by the surgical scar (p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Introducing RPDN is safe, even during the learning phase of the surgeons. Changing surgical technique from MIDN to RPDN reduces the surgical burden of the procedure. Our study might encourage more transplant centres to adopt a minimally invasive approach.

Risks of Living Kidney Donation: Current State of Knowledge on Outcomes Important to Donors

In the past decade, there have been increasing efforts to better define and quantify the short- and long-term risks of living kidney donation. Recent studies have expanded upon the previous literature by focusing on outcomes that are important to potential and previous donors, applying unique databases and/or registries to follow large cohorts of donors for longer periods of time, and comparing outcomes with healthy nondonor controls to estimate attributable risks of donation. Leading outcomes important to living kidney donors include kidney health, surgical risks, and psychosocial effects of donation. Recent data support that living donors may experience a small increased risk of severe CKD and ESKD compared with healthy nondonors. For most donors, the 15-year risk of kidney failure is <1%, but for certain populations, such as young, black men, this risk may be higher. New risk prediction tools that combine the effects of demographic and health factors, and innovations in genetic risk markers are improving kidney risk stratification. Minor perioperative complications occur in 10%-20% of donor nephrectomy cases, but major complications occur in <3%, and the risk of perioperative death is <0.03%. Generally, living kidney donors have similar or improved psychosocial outcomes, such as quality of life, after donation compared with before donation and compared with nondonors. Although the donation process should be financially neutral, living kidney donors may experience out-of-pocket expenses and lost wages that may or may not be completely covered through regional or national reimbursement programs, and may face difficulties arranging subsequent life and health insurance. Living kidney donors should be fully informed of the perioperative and long-term risks before making their decision to donate. Follow-up care allows for preventative care measures to mitigate risk and ongoing surveillance and reporting of donor outcomes to inform prior and future living kidney donors.

Living kidney donation from people at risk of nephrolithiasis, with a focus on the genetic forms

Deciding whether to accept a donor with nephrolithiasis is a multifaceted task because of the challenge of finding enough suitable donors while at the same time ensuring the safety of both donors and recipients. Until not long ago, donors with a history of renal stones or with stones emerging during screening on imaging were not considered ideal, but recent guidelines have adopted less stringent criteria for potential donors at risk of stones. This review goes through the problems that need to be approached to arrive at a wise clinical decision, balancing the safety of donors and recipients with the need to expand the organ pool. The risk of declining renal function and worsening stone formation is examined. Documents (consensus statements, guidelines, etc.) on this issue released by the most important medical societies and organizations are discussed and compared. Specific problems of living kidney donation associated with certain systemic (chronic hypercalcemia due to CYP24A1 gene mutations, primary hyperoxaluria, APRT deficiency) and renal (medullary sponge kidney, cystinuria, distal renal tubular acidosis, Dent's disease, Bartter syndrome, familial hypomagnesemia with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis) Mendelian disorders that cause nephrolithiasis are also addressed.

The Living Donor Lost Wages Trial: Study Rationale and Protocol

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This paper describes the background, rationale, and design of an NIH-funded, single-center study to test the impact of offering reimbursement for donor lost wages incurred during the post-nephrectomy recovery period on the live donor kidney transplant (LDKT) rate in newly evaluated kidney transplant candidates, to examine whether offering reimbursement for donor lost wages reduces racial disparity in LDKT rates, and to determine whether higher reimbursement amounts lead to higher LDKT rates.

RECENT FINDINGS

LDKT is the optimal treatment for renal failure. However, living kidney donation has declined in the past decade, particularly among men, younger adults, blacks, and low-income adults. There is evidence that donation-related costs may deter both transplant candidates and potential donors from considering LDKT. Lost wages is a major source of financial loss for some living donors and, unlike travel and lodging expenses, is not reimbursed by financial assistance programs.

SUMMARY

The study addresses the transplant community's call to reduce the financial burden of living donation and examine its impact on LDKT rates. Findings have the potential to influence policy, clinical practice, LDKT access, and income-related and racial disparities in LDKT and living donation.

Design and approach of the Living Organ Video Educated Donors (LOVED) program to promote living kidney donation in African Americans

PURPOSE

To describe the rationale, methodology, design, and interventional approach of a mobile health education program designed for African Americans with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to increase knowledge and self-efficacy to approach others about their need for a living donor kidney transplant (LDKT).

METHODS

The Living Organ Video Educated Donors (LOVED) program is a theory-guided iterative designed, mixed methods study incorporating three phases: 1) a formative evaluation using focus groups to develop program content and approach; 2) a 2-month proof of concept trial (n=27) to primarily investigate acceptability, tolerability and investigate increases of LDKT knowledge and self-efficacy; and 3) a 6-month, 2-arm, 60-person feasibility randomized control trial (RCT) to primarily investigate increases in LDKT knowledge and self-efficacy, and secondarily, to increase the number of living donor inquiries, medical evaluations, and LDKTs. The 8-week LOVED program includes an interactive web-based app delivered on 10″ tablet computer incorporating weekly interactive video education modules, weekly group video chat sessions with an African American navigator who has had LDKT and other group interactions for support and improve strategies to promote their need for a kidney.

RESULTS

Phase 1 and 2 have been completed and the program is currently enrolling for the feasibility RCT. Phase 2 experienced 100% retention rates with 91% adherence completing the video modules and 88% minimum adherence to the video chat sessions.

CONCLUSIONS

We are in the early stages of an RCT to evaluate the LOVED program; to date, we have found high tolerability reported from Phase 2.

Google analytics of a pilot mass and social media campaign targeting Hispanics about living kidney donation

BACKGROUND

The number of patients waiting for a kidney transplant surpasses available organs. Living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) can expand the organ pool. However, Hispanics have lower rates of LDKT than non-Hispanic whites, largely due to a lack of awareness and knowledge about LDKT as a treatment option. To reduce this disparity about LDKT, Northwestern University faculty in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, developed a website culturally targeted to Hispanics about LDKT, called Infórmate.

OBJECTIVE

This paper describes a pilot mass media campaign about LDKT which leveraged Infórmate to provide additional education about LDKT targeting the Hispanic public in Chicago, IL. We report the impact of the campaign on visits to Infórmate.

METHODS

The mass media campaign was conducted in Chicago, IL from July 16, 2015 to January 17, 2016 in two waves. The campaign used traditional media, online media, and community-based venues. The campaign's bilingual (Spanish and English) messaging addressed key topics about kidney disease and LDKT, and included a call to action to visit Infórmate to learn more. Google Analytics was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign's call to action by measuring the number of visits to Infórmate, visit duration, bounce rate, number of pages visited, pages most often visited, user demographics, and media channel.

RESULTS

Infórmate received an average of 1466 sessions per month during the entire campaign period, with a 16.7% return rate. Sessions and visitors increased during the entire campaign period compared to the pre- and post- campaign periods. Visits lasted an average of 1:26 min, with a bounce rate of 73.9% per session. Users visited an average of 1.93 pages, and the pages with the most views were Immigrant Issues and Financial Issues. Most sessions during this period occurred in the USA (69.57%) out of 100 countries, and in the city of Chicago (13.37%). Sessions were mostly conducted by men (54.1%) and people ages 18-34 (61%). Visitors accessed Infórmate primarily through their desktop computer (53.1%), and by typing the website address directly into their browser (32.78%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that our pilot mass media campaign's call to action was effective in increasing the Hispanic public's traffic to Infórmate. Google Analytics data can help to strategize future campaign messages and outlets. Future research should assess whether a theoretically-driven mass media campaign increases the Hispanic public's knowledge about LDKT, and increases rates of LDKT.

Predictors and Moderators of Educational Interventions to Increase the Likelihood of Potential Living Donors for Black Patients Awaiting Kidney Transplantation

Our aim was to identify predictors and moderators of the effects of a house calls (HC) educational intervention, relative to a group-based (GB) intervention and to individual counseling (IC), in a randomized controlled trial to increase the likelihood of having living donor (LD) evaluations initiated and live donor kidney transplantation (LDKT). Black adults wait listed for kidney transplantation (N = 152) were randomized into one of the three educational conditions. We examined demographic, clinical, psychosocial, and socio-contextual baseline characteristics as predictors and moderators of having a potential LD initiate evaluation. HC assignment (OR = 2.024.7311.05, P = 0.001), younger age (OR = 0.910.940.98, P = 0.001), more willingness to discuss donation with others (OR = 1.081.371.75, P = 0.01), and larger social network (OR = 1.011.091.18, P = 0.04) were significant multivariable predictors of having ≥1 LD initiate evaluation. Age (P = 0.03) and social network size (P = 0.02) moderated the effect of HC relative to IC and GB, but not GB relative to IC, on LD evaluation initiation. Our findings suggest that HC is most effective for patients <60 years old and those with average or large social network size.

Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Living Kidney Donation: A Single Center Experience

This article describes the development and implementation of an initiative at one transplant center to annually assess psychosocial outcomes of living kidney donors. The current analysis focuses on a cohort of adults (n = 208) who donated a kidney at BIDMC between September 2005 and August 2012, in which two post-donation annual assessments could be examined. One and two year post-donation surveys were returned by 59 % (n = 123) and 47 % (n = 98) of LKDs, respectively. Those who did not complete any survey were more likely to be younger (p = 0.001), minority race/ethnicity (p < 0.001), and uninsured at the time of donation (p = 0.01) compared to those who returned at least one of the two annual surveys. The majority of donors reported no adverse physical or psychosocial consequences of donation, high satisfaction with the donation experience, and no donation decision regret. However, a sizable minority of donors felt more pain intensity than expected and recovery time was much slower than expected, and experienced a clinically significant decline in vitality. We describe how these outcomes are used to inform clinical practice at our transplant center as well as highlight challenges in donor surveillance over time.

Robotic nephrectomy for living donation: surgical technique and literature systematic review. Am J Surg. 2016;211:1135-1142. [PMID: 26499052 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.08.019]

BACKGROUND

As compared with traditional laparoscopy, robotic-assisted surgery provides better EndoWrist instruments and three-dimensional visualization of the operative field. Studies published so far indicate that living donor nephrectomy using the robot-assisted technique is safe, feasible, and provides remarkable advantages for the patients.

METHODS

From 5 papers reporting detailed descriptions of surgical technique for robotic assisted nephrectomy (RAN) in living donor kidney transplantation, we have gathered information about the surgical techniques as well as about patients' intra- and postoperative outcome. Data from these articles were analyzed together with the data from our own experience (33 cases) so that the total number of analyzed cases was 292.

RESULTS

In the analyzed populations, no case of donor death occurred, and no case developed complication above grade 2 of Clavien score. Perioperative complications occurred in 37 of the 292 patients (12.6%). Accidental acute hemorrhage occurred in 5 of the 292 cases (1.7%). The average overall intraoperative blood loss was 67.8 mL (range 10 to 1,500). The average warm ischemia time was 3.5 minutes (range .58 to 7.6). Conversion to the open technique occurred in only 4 cases (1.3%). The average overall operative time was 192 minutes (range 60 to 400). The average length of the hospital stay was 2.7 days (range 1 to 10).

CONCLUSIONS

Safety and feasibility of RAN are pointed out in all the reviewed article, both as hand-assisted and as totally robotic technique. RAN appears to be significantly easier for the surgeons and the results are comparable with the ones obtained with the pure laparoscopic technique.

Laparoscopic liver resection for living donation: Where do we stand?

In Western countries, living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) may represent a valuable alternative to deceased donor liver transplantation. Yet, after an initial peak of enthusiasm, reports of high rates of complications and of fatalities have led to a certain degree of reluctance towards this procedure especially in Western countries. As for living donor kidney transplantation, the laparoscopic approach could improve patient’s tolerance in order to rehabilitate this strategy and reverse the current trend. In this setting however, initial concerns regarding patient’s safety and graft integrity, need for acquiring surgical expertise in both laparoscopic liver surgery and living donor transplantation and lack of evidence supporting the benefits of laparoscopy have delayed the development of this approach. Similarly to what is performed in classical resectional liver surgery, initial experiences of laparoscopy have therefore begun with left lateral sectionectomy, which is performed for adult to child living donation. In this setting, the laparoscopic technique is now well standardized, is associated with decreased donor blood loss and hospital stays and provides graft of similar quality compared to the open approach. On the other hand laparoscopic major right or left hepatectomies for adult-adult LDLT currently lack standardization and various techniques such as the full laparoscopic approach, the hand assisted approach and the hybrid approach have been reported. Hence, even-though several reports highlight the feasibility of these procedures, the true benefits of laparoscopy over laparotomy remain to be fully assessed. This could be achieved through standardization of the procedures and creation of international registries especially in Eastern countries where LDLT keeps on flourishing.

Rotterdam: main port for organ transplantation research in the Netherlands

This overview describes the full spectrum of current pre-clinical and clinical kidney-, liver-, heart- and lung transplantation research performed in Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. An update is provided on the development of a large living donor kidney transplantation program and on optimization of kidney allocation, including the implementation of a domino kidney-donation program. Our current research efforts to optimize immunosuppressive regimens and find novel targets for immunosuppressive therapy, our recent studies on prevention of ischemia-reperfusion-induced graft injury, our newest findings on stimulation of tissue regeneration, our novel approaches to prevent rejection and viral infection, and our latest insights in the regulation of allograft rejection, are summarized.

Communication self-efficacy, perceived conversational difficulty, and renal patients' discussions about transplantation

OBJECTIVE

Many patients with chronic and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have reported difficulties initiating and managing discussions about kidney transplantation, particularly live donor transplantation (LDT). Limited communication has demonstrable impact on patients' access to transplantation, the duration of dialysis treatments, and the length of time awaiting a transplantable kidney. This formative study sought to identify the specific communicative and conversational elements impeding ESRD patients' discussions about transplantation to inform the design of an educational program facilitating transplant-related discussions.

METHODS

From March to July 2012, semi-structured telephone interviews (n=63) were conducted with ESRD patients waitlisted for kidney transplantation at one mid-Atlantic transplant center.

RESULTS

Although 85.7% (n=54) of patients reported holding discussions about transplantation, qualitative analyses of open-ended responses revealed that the majority (66.7%) had limited conversations. Patients reported difficulties managing a variety of logistical and content-related aspects of LDT discussions. Moderate levels of communication self-efficacy were also found (mean=19.2 out of 28); self-efficacy was highest among respondents having held discussions and was significantly related to perceived magnitude of difficulty handling conversational aspects.

CONCLUSION

Results support comprehensive communication skills training for ESRD patients awaiting kidney transplantation.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Potential topics to be included in such training are discussed.