Search

Normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) allows the in situ perfusion of organs with oxygenated blood in donation after the circulatory determination of death (DCDD). We aimed at evaluating the impact of NRP on the short-term outcomes of kidney transplants in controlled DCDD (cDCDD). This is a multicenter, nationwide, retrospective study comparing cDCDD kidneys obtained with NRP versus the standard rapid recovery (RR) technique. During 2012-2018, 2302 cDCDD adult kidney transplants were performed in Spain using NRP (n = 865) or RR (n = 1437). The study groups differed in donor and recipient age, warm, and cold ischemic time and use of ex situ machine perfusion. Transplants in the NRP group were more frequently performed in high-volume centers (≥90 transplants/year). Through matching by propensity score, two cohorts with a total of 770 patients were obtained. After the matching, no statistically significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of primary nonfunction (p = .261) and mortality at 1 year (p =  .111). However, the RR of kidneys was associated with a significantly increased odds of delayed graft function (OR 1.97 [95% CI 1.43-2.72]; p < .001) and 1-year graft loss (OR 1.77 [95% CI 1.01-3.17]; p = .034). In conclusion, compared with RR, NRP appears to improve the short-term outcomes of cDCDD kidney transplants., (© 2021 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Objective: One of the main problems of lung transplantation is the shortage of organs as well as reduced survival rates. In the absence of an international standardized model for lung donor-recipient allocation, we set out to develop such a model based on the characteristics of past experiences with lung donors and recipients with the aim of improving the outcomes of the entire transplantation process., Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 404 lung transplants carried out at the Reina Sofía University Hospital (Córdoba, Spain) over 23 years. We analyzed various clinical variables obtained via our experience of clinical practice in the donation and transplantation process. These were used to create various classification models, including classical statistical methods and also incorporating newer machine-learning approaches., Results: The proposed model represents a powerful tool for donor-recipient matching, which in this current work, exceeded the capacity of classical statistical methods. The variables that predicted an increase in the probability of survival were: higher pre-transplant and post-transplant functional vital capacity (FVC), lower pre-transplant carbon dioxide (PCO2) pressure, lower donor mechanical ventilation, and shorter ischemia time. The variables that negatively influenced transplant survival were low forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) pre-transplant, lower arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio, bilobar transplant, elderly recipient and donor, donor-recipient graft disproportion requiring a surgical reduction (Tailor), type of combined transplant, need for cardiopulmonary bypass during the surgery, death of the donor due to head trauma, hospitalization status before surgery, and female and male recipient donor sex., Conclusions: These results show the difficulty of the problem which required the introduction of other variables into the analysis. The combination of classical statistical methods and machine learning can support decision-making about the compatibility between donors and recipients. This helps to facilitate reliable prediction and to optimize the grafts for transplantation, thereby improving the transplanted patient survival rate., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: Efforts to expand the organ donor pool to meet growing transplant demands remains a top priority, as does maintaining the quality and safety standards of potential recipients. There is a short window of time from organ retrieval to decision making on organ acceptance, based on the available data. Furthermore, the limitations of intraoperative biopsy can often lead to donor or organ refusal due to a suspected tumor, which, if not confirmed in the final biopsy, results in the loss of a transplant opportunity., Methods: Donor characteristics and organs discarded on suspicion of neoplastic disease at the time of extraction were analyzed in Andalusia between January 2014 and July 2018. The variable analysis included sociodemographic data, type of donor, location of the potential malignancy, histopathologic examination, and discarded organs., Results: A total of 43 cases were identified. The organs of 33 donors (76.7%) were discarded. Kidneys were the most frequent location for a suspected tumor (44%), followed by the liver (21%). In 18 of the 43 cases (42%), the suspected malignancy was not confirmed, and of these, only 3 livers and 1 kidney were implanted. Sixty potentially transplantable organs were discarded, including those that would have been extracted and/or implanted in the absence of a suspected tumor., Conclusions: These results highlight the need not only to improve the accuracy of intraoperative biopsies but to seek new decision-making strategies for the short interval after organ retrieval. This involves avoiding both extremes of donation contraindications, while maintaining quality and safety standards., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Ex vivo machine perfusion (MP) has been reported as a possibly method to rescue discarded organs. The main aim of this study was to report an initial experience in Spain using MP for the rescue of severely marginal discarded liver grafts, and to, secondarily, define markers of viability to test the potential applicability of these devices for the real increase in the organ donor pool., Methods: The study began in January 2016. Discarded grafts were included in a research protocol that consisted of standard retrieval followed by 10 hours of cold ischemia. Next, either normothermic (NMP) or controlled subnormothermic (subNMP) rewarming was chosen randomly. Continuous measurements of portal-arterial pressure and resistance were screened. Lactate, pH, and bicarbonate were measured every 30 minutes. The perfusion period was 6 hours, after which the graft was discarded and evaluated as potentially usable, but never implanted. Biopsies of the donor and at 2, 4, and 6 hours after ex vivo MP were obtained., Results: A total of 4 grafts were included in the protocol. The first 2 grafts were perfused by NMP and grafts 3 and 4 by subNMP. The second and third grafts showed a clear trend toward optimal recovery and may have been used. Lactate dropped to levels below 2.5 mmol/L with stable arterial and portal pressure and resistance. Clear biliary output started during MP. Biopsies showed an improvement of liver architecture with reduced inflammation at the end of the perfusion., Conclusion: This preliminary experience has demonstrated the potential of MP devices for the rescue of severely marginal liver grafts. Lactate and biliary output were useful for viability testing of the grafts. The utility of NMP or subNMP protocols requires further research., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The aim is to evaluate the outcomes obtained from the implementation of a pre-hospital thrombolysis protocol in 3 rural emergency care teams, as well as delays and strategies of reperfusion applied in the treatment of the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction., Material and Methods: Retrospective cohort study (n=52) with historical control (n=20) of the patients assisted for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Medical emergency care teams, hospital, computerized medical history and ARIAM register reports were revised, obtaining epidemiological and clinical features, off-hospital management, reperfusion, time intervals and mortality., Results: The baseline features in both groups were not significantly different. There was a non-significant improvement of emergency care teams-hospital diagnostic concordance (85.3 versus 76.9%). We found a similar use of nitroglycerin, morphine and aspirin; significant increase (P<0.0001) of clopidogrel/prasugrel (55 versus 90.4%) and enoxaparin/fondaparinux (35 versus 76.9%), as well as pre-hospital thrombolysis (5 versus 30,8%, P<0.03), that was applied within the first 2h to 71.4%, with a median door-needle of 40min, whereas in-hospital thrombolysis and primary angioplasty were performed after 3h from the symptoms onset (P<0.01). Delays are associated with the patient's own lateness (P<0.02). Pharmaco-invasive strategy increases (62.5 versus 84.6%) more than primary angioplasty (15 versus 17.3%), reducing in-hospital thrombolysis (35 versus 19.2%), all of them non-significant. Complications are similar and one-year mortality is reduced (P<0.67)., Conclusions: The protocol is effective, safe, and reliable. It reduces delays and improves pre-hospital attention. The pharmaco-invasive strategy is a valid option., (Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Competing requirements for organ perfusion may call for antagonistic strategies such as fluid replacement or high positive end-expiratory pressure. We recently proposed an intensive lung donor treatment protocol that nearly tripled lung procurement rates and validated it in a multicentre study. The next step was to evaluate the impact of our proposal on the other organ grafts recovered from lung donors and on the recipients' outcome after transplantation of those grafts., Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in six Spanish hospitals during 2013 (2010-12 was historical control). Organ donor management was led by a trained and experienced intensive care staff., Results: A total of 618 actual donors after brain death (DBDs) were included, 453 DBDs in the control period (annual average 151) and 165 in the protocol period. No baseline differences were found between the periods. Heart, liver, kidney and pancreas retrieval rates were similar in both periods, and heart, liver, kidney and pancreas recipients' survival at 3 months showed no differences between both periods., Conclusions: Our lung donor treatment protocol is safe for other grafts obtained from donors undergoing these procedures with the aim of increasing lungs available for transplantation. It has no negative impact on the recovery rates of other grafts or on early survival of heart, liver, pancreas or kidney recipients., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: The shortage of lung donors for transplantation is the main limitation among patients awaiting this type of surgery. We previously demonstrated that an intensive lung donor-treatment protocol succeeded in increasing the lung procurement rate. We aimed to validate our protocol for centers with or without lung transplant programs., Methods: A quasi-experimental study was performed to compare lung donor rate before (historical group, 2010 to 2012) and after (prospective group, 2013) the application of a lung management protocol for donors after brain death (DBDs) in six Spanish hospitals. Lung donor selection criteria remained unchanged in both periods. Outcome measures for lung recipients were early survival and primary graft dysfunction (PGD) rates., Results: A total of 618 DBDs were included: 453 in the control period and 165 in the protocol period. Donor baseline characteristics were similar in both periods. Lung donation rate in the prospective group was 27.3%, more than twice that of the historical group (13%; p < 0.001). The number of lungs retrieved, grafts transplanted, and transplants performed more than doubled over the study period. No differences in early recipients' survival between groups were observed (87.6% vs. 84.5%; p = 0.733) nor in the rate of PGD., Conclusion: Implementing our intensive lung donor-treatment protocol increases lung procurement rates. This allows more lung transplants to be performed without detriment to either early survival or PGD rate., (Copyright © 2015 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Kidney transplantation from donors after cardiac death (Type III Maastricht category) is a therapeutic option for patients with terminal renal failure., Materials and Methods: We present a cohort of 8 patients who received a kidney transplant from donors after cardiac death (DCD). We analyzed the analytical results for the first 6 months after transplantation., Results: We included 8 cases of kidney transplants with organs from DCD (Type III Maastricht category). The mean age of donors was 58.40 ± 4.39 years and 3 (60%) were male. The mean creatinine (Cr) level prior to death was 1.10 ± 0.36 mg/dL. The mean age of recipients was 59.88 ± 10.58 years and 7 (87.5%) were male. Seven patients (87.5%) were on hemodialysis, whereas only 1 (12.5%) was on peritoneal dialysis. The median time on renal replacement therapy was 18 months (range, 2-76). Mean total warm ischemia time (WIT) was 24.88 ± 6.72 minutes, whereas the mean real WIT was 20.13 ± 4.51 minutes. The mean cold ischemia time (CIT) was 6 hours and 12 minutes ± 2 hours. Preimplantation biopsy showed acute tubular necrosis (extensive 40%). Tubular atrophy was mild in 100% of cases. After transplantation, 6 patients (75%) had delayed graft function requiring dialysis sessions whereas 2 patients (25%) did not require renal replacement therapy. Mean Cr level at 1, 3, and 6 months after transplantation was 2.37, 1.75, and 1.17 mg/dL, respectively., Conclusion: Kidney transplantation with grafts from donors after cardiac arrest Maastricht Type III evolves favorably in the short term. According to preliminary results, controlled asystole donation could be an effective alternative to transplantation., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Systemic capillary leak syndrome is a rare disorder of unknown etiology and often recurrent episodes characterized by increased capillary permeability that allows a leakage of fluid and proteins from the circulatory system to the interstitial space leading to shock and massive edema. The lack of recognition of this disease may be due to its unespecific signs and symptons of presentation, its rapid clinical progression and high mortality of the acute episodes. General physicians are usually the first to evaluate patients with this kind of disorder, either in the pre-hospital situation, hospital emergency units or even (in the milder cases) in the health centers. Its poor outcome and the improvement in the prognosis, if appropriate treatment is initiated, leads us to emphasize the importance of recognizing this pathology in order to start the appropriate intensive care and emergency treatment., (Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

MELAS is a progressive neurodegenerative and fatal disease characterized by mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes. It is the result of a mitochondrial DNA mutation. Although the incidence of MELAS is currently unknown, it is suspected that approximately 1 out of every 5,000 persons world-wide have some type of defect in mitochondrial DNA. Cardinal clinical features observed in more than 90% of the patients include severe headache that may be associated with stroke-like episodes, seizures and the onset of symptoms before the age of 40 years. Diagnosis is established through genetic test or by with muscle biopsies that reveal the presence of ragged-red fibers. Prognosis is poor, with death at an early age. In this article, we present the clinical case of a 31-year old women diagnosed of MELAS syndrome who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of our hospital with arreflexic coma.