Positive autoantibodies in living liver donors

BACKGROUND

There is a nationwide shortage of organs available for liver transplantation. Living donors help meet this growing demand. Not uncommonly, donors will have positive autoantibodies. However, it is unclear whether donor positive autoantibodies are correlated with worse outcomes following living liver donor transplantations.

AIM

To analyze the significance of positive autoantibodies in donors on post-transplant outcomes in recipients.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of living liver donors who had undergone liver transplantation between January 1, 2012 and August 31, 2021. Demographic characteristics and pre-transplant data including antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-smooth muscle antibody titers were collected in donors. Outcomes of interest were post-transplantation complications including mortality, biliary strictures, biliary leaks, infection, and rejection. Pediatric recipients and donors without measured pre-transplant autoantibody serologies were excluded from this study.

RESULTS

172 living donor liver transplantations were performed during the study period, of which 115 patients met inclusion criteria. 37 (32%) living donors were autoantibody-positive with a median ANA titer of 1:160 (range 1:80 to 1:1280) and median anti-SMA titer of 1:40 (range 1:20 to 1:160). There were no significant differences in baseline demographics between the autoantibody positive and negative donors. Post-transplantation rates of death (P value = 1), infections (P value = 0.66), and overall rates of complications (P value = 0.52) were similar between the autoantibody positive and negative groups. Higher incidences of anastomotic strictures and rejection were observed in the autoantibody positive group; however, these differences were not statistically significant (P value = 0.07 and P value = 0.30 respectively).

CONCLUSION

Isolated pre-transplant autoantibody positivity is not correlated to worse post-transplant outcomes in living liver donor transplants.

Safety and Threshold Analysis of Preoperative Platelets in Right Lobe Living Donors for Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Low perioperative platelet count is a powerful independent risk factor for posthepatectomy liver failure. Usually, categorical effect of thrombocytopenia was taken into account; upper thresholds were not studied in depth, exclusively in living liver donors.

METHODS

Living liver donors who underwent right hepatectomy were included. Preoperative characteristics of donors were identified and examined to predict posthepatectomy liver failure. To eliminate selection bias, one-to-one propensity score matching was performed.

RESULTS

There were a total of 139 living donors and 40 (29%) donors developed posthepatectomy liver failure in the aftermath of the operation. Remnant liver volume ratio and preoperative platelet count were identified as adjustable independent risk factors (OR: 0.89 and 0.99, 95% CI: 0.79-0.99 and 0.98-0.99, respectively). After propensity score matching, odds ratio of preoperative platelet count was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98-1.00).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative platelet count, in addition to remnant liver volume ratio, can be used as a surrogate marker to predict the risk of posthepatectomy liver failure in living liver right lobe donors. Probability curves figured out from logistic regression analysis, in this regard, provided an explicit perspective of platelets having a decisive role on liver donor safety. Thus, remaining in safer remnant liver volume ratio limits with respect to preoperative platelet count should be addressed in safe donor selection strategies.

[Fostering organ donation in the intensive care unit : A best practice example]

We report on the development and implementation of a bundle of measures with which we increased the number of post-mortem organ donations performed in our hospital from 2 per year to 10 per year within 5 years.

[Bone banks : The state-of-the-art]

Bone banks are responsible for the collection, production, testing, packaging, storage and delivery of osseous grafts. In compliance with legal and quality requirements, it is their main task to ensure the biological properties and the microbiological safety of the transplants as well. German legal requirements for bone banking are explained and current standards with respect to donor selection, laboratory tests and tissue processing, as well as labeling are discussed. Production and preparation procedures should include a validated microbiological inactivation method that largely preserves the biological properties of the tissue.

Risk Factors for Mortality in 272 Patients With Lung Transplant: A Multicenter Analysis of 7 Intensive Care Units

BACKGROUND

One-year survival in lung transplant is around 85%, but this figure has not increased in recent years, in spite of technical improvements.

METHODS

Retrospective, multicenter cohort study. Data from 272 eligible adults with lung transplant were recorded at 7 intensive care units (ICU) in Spain in 2013. The objective was to identify variables that might help to guide future clinical interventions in order to reducethe risk of death in the postoperative period.

RESULTS

One patient (0.3%) died in the operating room and 27 (10%) within 90 days. Twenty (7.4%) died within 28 days, after a median of 14 ICU days. Grade 3 pulmonary graft dysfunction was documented in 108 patients, of whom 21 died, compared with 6 out of 163 without pulmonary graft dysfunction (P<.001). At ICU admission, non-survivors had significantly lower (P=.03) median PaO2/FiO2 (200mmHg vs 280mmHg), and the difference increased after 24hours (178 vs 297mmHg, P<.001). Thirteen required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and 7(53.8%) died. A logistic regression model identified pulmonary graft dysfunction (OR: 6.77), donor age>60yr (OR: 2.91) and SOFA>8 (OR: 2.53) as independent predictors of 90-day mortality. At ICU admission, higher median procalcitonin (1.6 vs 0.6) and lower median PaO2/FiO2 (200 vs 280mmHg) were significantly associated with mortality.

CONCLUSION

Graft dysfunction remains a significant problem in lung transplant. Early ICU interventions in patients with severe hypoxemia or high procalcitonin are crucial in order to lower mortality.