scholarly journals Continuous Normothermic Machine Perfusion for Renovation of Extended Criteria Donor Livers Without Recooling in Liver Transplantation: A Pilot Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhitao Chen ◽  
Xitao Hong ◽  
Shanzhou Huang ◽  
Tielong Wang ◽  
Yihao Ma ◽  
...  

Background: Ischemia injury affects the recovery of liver allograft function. We propose a novel technique aimed at avoiding a second ischemic injury: transplanting an extended criteria donor (ECD) liver directly under normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) without recooling. We studied two cases to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this technique.Methods: The perioperative characteristics and postoperative outcomes of two recipients of ECD livers were analyzed. Both transplantations were performed with continuous normothermic machine perfusion without recooling.Result: In case 1, the cause of donor death was anoxia, and the donor liver had hypernatremia before procurement. The recipient was diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis. His model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was 38. In case 2, the donor liver was from a donor after cardiac death (DCD), and the donor had elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. The recipient was diagnosed with acute hepatic failure. His MELD score was 35. Both donor livers were maintained under NMP and then transplanted without recooling. The peak ALT and AST levels after surgery were 452 and 770 U/L in case 1 and 100 and 592 U/L in case 2. Neither early allograft dysfunction (EAD) nor primary graft non-function (PNF) was present in these two cases.Conclusion: In conclusion, our results demonstrate that continuous NMP without recooling is efficacious and safe for LT with extended criteria donor livers. Further investigations of this technique will be performed to confirm these promising results.

Gut ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. gutjnl-2021-324879
Author(s):  
Luca Saverio Belli ◽  
Christophe Duvoux ◽  
Paolo Angelo Cortesi ◽  
Rita Facchetti ◽  
Speranta Iacob ◽  
...  

ObjectiveExplore the impact of COVID-19 on patients on the waiting list for liver transplantation (LT) and on their post-LT course.DesignData from consecutive adult LT candidates with COVID-19 were collected across Europe in a dedicated registry and were analysed.ResultsFrom 21 February to 20 November 2020, 136 adult cases with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from 33 centres in 11 European countries were collected, with 113 having COVID-19. Thirty-seven (37/113, 32.7%) patients died after a median of 18 (10–30) days, with respiratory failure being the major cause (33/37, 89.2%). The 60-day mortality risk did not significantly change between first (35.3%, 95% CI 23.9% to 50.0%) and second (26.0%, 95% CI 16.2% to 40.2%) waves. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed Laboratory Model for End-stage Liver Disease (Lab-MELD) score of ≥15 (Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score 15–19, HR 5.46, 95% CI 1.81 to 16.50; MELD score≥20, HR 5.24, 95% CI 1.77 to 15.55) and dyspnoea on presentation (HR 3.89, 95% CI 2.02 to 7.51) being the two negative independent factors for mortality. Twenty-six patients underwent an LT after a median time of 78.5 (IQR 44–102) days, and 25 (96%) were alive after a median follow-up of 118 days (IQR 31–170).ConclusionsIncreased mortality in LT candidates with COVID-19 (32.7%), reaching 45% in those with decompensated cirrhosis (DC) and Lab-MELD score of ≥15, was observed, with no significant difference between first and second waves of the pandemic. Respiratory failure was the major cause of death. The dismal prognosis of patients with DC supports the adoption of strict preventative measures and the urgent testing of vaccination efficacy in this population. Prior SARS-CoV-2 symptomatic infection did not affect early post-transplant survival (96%).


HPB ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. S776-S777
Author(s):  
F. Di Francesco ◽  
P. Bonsignore ◽  
G. Martucci ◽  
D. Pagano ◽  
D. Cintorino ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si-Zhe Wan ◽  
Yuan Nie ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Cong Liu ◽  
Xuan Zhu

Background and Aim. Various methods, including the Child-Pugh score, the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, the MELD combined with serum sodium concentration (MELD-Na) score, the integrated MELD (iMELD) score, and the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score, have been widely used for predicting the survival of decompensated cirrhosis (DeCi) patients. In this study, we defined and compared the prognostic value of these scores to predict mortality in DeCi patients. Methods. We performed a single-center, observational retrospective study and analyzed 456 DeCi patients who were hospitalized in the gastroenterology department. The biochemical examination results and demographic characteristics of the patients were obtained, and five scores were calculated upon admission after 24 hours. All patients were observed until death, loss to follow-up, or specific follow-up times (28 days, 90 days, and 6 months). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the ability of these methods to predict mortality in DeCi patients. Results. At 28 days, 90 days, and 6 months, the cumulative number of deaths was 50 (11.0%), 76 (16.6%), and 91 (19.9%), respectively. The scores were significantly higher in nonsurviving patients than in surviving patients. All scores yielded viable values in predicting 28-day, 90-day, and 6-month prognoses for DeCi patients. The areas under the ROC curve (AUROCs) of the ALBI score were higher than those of the other scores, which were only over 0.700 at 28 days. The AUROC of the MELD score was higher than that of the other scores, including the MELD-Na and iMELD scores, at 90 days and 6 months. Conclusion. All five methods (Child-Pugh score, MELD score, MELD-Na score, iMELD score, and ALBI score) provided a reliable prediction of mortality for both the short-term and long-term prognosis of patients with DeCi. The ALBI score may be particularly useful for assessing short-term outcomes, whereas the MELD score may be particularly useful for assessing long-term outcomes.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1249
Author(s):  
Gemma Llibre-Nieto ◽  
Alba Lira ◽  
Mercedes Vergara ◽  
Cristina Solé ◽  
Meritxell Casas ◽  
...  

Patients with cirrhosis often develop malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, leading to a worse prognosis and increased mortality. Our main goal was to assess the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. This was a prospective single-center study including 125 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute decompensation of cirrhosis (mostly of alcoholic etiology). A blood test including trace elements and vitamins was performed on admission. The main micronutrient deficiencies observed were vitamin D (in 94.5%), vitamin A (93.5%), vitamin B6 (60.8%) and zinc (85.6%). Patients in Child-Pugh class C had lower levels of vitamin A (p < 0.0001), vitamin E (p = 0.01) and zinc (p < 0.001), and higher levels of ferritin (p = 0.002) and vitamin B12 (p < 0.001) than those in Child-Pugh class A and B. Patients with a higher model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score had lower levels of vitamin A (p < 0.0001), vitamin E (p < 0.001), magnesium (p = 0.01) and zinc (p = 0.001), and higher levels of ferritin (p = 0.002) and vitamin B12 (p < 0.0001). Severe hepatic insufficiency correlated with lower levels of zinc, vitamin E and vitamin A, and higher levels of vitamin B12 and ferritin.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5233
Author(s):  
Christina Bogensperger ◽  
Julia Hofmann ◽  
Franka Messner ◽  
Thomas Resch ◽  
Andras Meszaros ◽  
...  

Transplantation represents the treatment of choice for many end-stage diseases but is limited by the shortage of healthy donor organs. Ex situ normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) has the potential to extend the donor pool by facilitating the use of marginal quality organs such as those from donors after cardiac death (DCD) and extended criteria donors (ECD). NMP provides a platform for organ quality assessment but also offers the opportunity to treat and eventually regenerate organs during the perfusion process prior to transplantation. Due to their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and regenerative capacity, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered as an interesting tool in this model system. Only a limited number of studies have reported on the use of MSCs during ex situ machine perfusion so far with a focus on feasibility and safety aspects. At this point, no clinical benefits have been conclusively demonstrated, and studies with controlled transplantation set-ups are urgently warranted to elucidate favorable effects of MSCs in order to improve organs during ex situ machine perfusion.


HPB ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. S1001
Author(s):  
F. Di Francesco ◽  
P. Bonsignore ◽  
G. Martucci ◽  
D. Pagano ◽  
D. Cintorino ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
YJ Wong ◽  
HM Lum ◽  
PT Tan ◽  
EK Teo ◽  
JY Tan ◽  
...  

Introduction: Large-volume paracentesis (LVP) is the first-line treatment for decompensated cirrhosis with refractory ascites. While ascitic drain removal (ADR) within 72 hours was once considered safe, it was uncertain if ADR within 24 hours could further reduce the risk of ascitic drain-related bacterial peritonitis (AdBP). This study aimed to investigate the association between the timing of ADR and the presence of AdBP. Methods: All cirrhotics with refractory ascites who underwent LVP in our institution from 2014 to 2017 were studied. AdBP was diagnosed based on ascitic fluid neutrophil count ≥ 250 cells/mm3 or positive ascitic fluid culture following recent paracentesis within two weeks. Results: A total of 131 patients who underwent LVP were followed up for 1,806 patient-months. Their mean age was 68.3 ± 11.6 years, and 65.6% were male. Their mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score was 15.2. The overall incidence of AdBP was 5.3%. ADR beyond 24 hours was significantly associated with longer median length of stay (five days vs. three days, p < 0.001), higher risk of AdBP (0% vs. 8.9%, p = 0.042) and AKI following LVP (odds ratio 20.0, 95% confidence interval 2.4–164.2, p = 0.021). Overall survival was similar in patients with ADR within and beyond 24 hours. Conclusion: ADR within 24 hours is associated with reduced risk of AdBP and AKI. As AdBP is associated with resistant organism and AKI, we recommend prompt ADR within 24 hours, especially among patients who have Child-Pugh C with alcoholic cirrhosis.


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