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Two-week direct-acting antiviral prophylaxis prevents hep C after kidney transplant

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By Elana Gotkine

Two-week direct-acting antiviral (DAA) prophylaxis prevents hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in individuals without HCV viremia who received kidney transplant (KT) from donors with HCV viremia (HCV D+/R−), according to a study published online Nov. 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Niraj M. Desai, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues examined the safety and efficacy of two-week DAA prophylaxis for HCV D+/R− KT in a small uncontrolled trial involving 10 patients. Read the article in Medical Xpress.

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Lung transplant ‘effective treatment option’ for bronchopulmonary dysplasia

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By Isabella Hornick

Patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia who received a lung transplant showed survival rates comparable to those of transplant recipients with other lung diseases, according to results published inCHEST.

“Patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) have similar short- and long-term survival outcomes compared with patients undergoing lung transplant for other indications,” Alia Dani, MD, MPH, a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of cardiothoracic surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center at the time of the study and now a pediatric resident at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues wrote. Read the article in Healio.

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Mayo Clinic Minute – How innovation is transforming heart transplants

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More than 4,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a new heart, that’s according to the organization Donate Life America. Anxiety, fear and frustration are some of the emotions people go through while waiting for a lifesaving organ. Dr. Lisa LeMond, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says perfusion technology, sometimes called “heart in a box,” is giving hope to transplant patients. Watch the video from the Mayo Clinic.

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Press Conference: Hundreds of transplant patients, physicians, and health equity advocates expected to rally on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, December 5 to ask President Joe Biden and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra: “Urgently intervene! Stop private contractors from rolling back Medicare coverage for crucial transplant blood tests before it is too late.”

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Medicare changes announced in March 2023 have alarmed transplant patients and clinicians, causing significant decline in crucial blood test use to detect early signs of organ transplant rejection.

The transplant community is fearful their voices have been ignored and are making a public plea to the Biden Administration.

Universally celebrated recording artist and transplant patient Al B. Sure! and civil rights and social justice leader, Rev. Al Sharpton joining the cause and fighting for minorities and the underserved who are disproportionately affected by these rollbacks.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Honor the Gift, a coalition representing organ transplant patients across the nation, will be joined by Representative Don Bacon (R-NE), the American Association of Kidney Patient’s (AAKP) Chair of Policy and Global Affairs Paul T. Conway, Al B Sure!, Executive Chairman of the newly formed “Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition,” Rev. Al Sharpton, Senior Advisor, and other leaders in the transplant field, to hold a press conference on December 5, 2023 in the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Read the full press release from Honor the Gift.

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Ukrainian doctors again visit VUMC to observe organ transplants and protocols

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By Matt Batcheldor

For the second year, a delegation of doctors from Ukraine recently visited Vanderbilt University Medical Center to observe organ transplants and protocols.

With the help of Vanderbilt and other transplant centers, Ukraine has developed a growing transplant program in the country in the last three years, said Borys Todurov, MD, a Ukrainian cardiac surgeon and director of The Heart Institute in Kyiv, who performed the nation’s first heart transplant. Read the complete article in the VUMC Reporter.

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Study Details AKI Prevalence, Risk Factors in Infant Liver Transplant Patients

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By Abigail Brooks, MA

60.2% of infant living-related liver transplant recipients developed AKI within 7 days of surgery and experienced more frequent serious complications, longer hospital stays, and a greater duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation compared to those who did not develop AKI.

Preoperative transfusion and decreased serum creatine levels are independently associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in infant living-related liver transplant recipients with biliary atresia, according to findings from a retrospective study. Read the full article in HCP Live.

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Patients less likely to finish tests ordered over telehealth vs. in-person visits

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By Andrew Rhoades

Rates of completion for recommended tests and specialty referrals ordered across all visit types were “unacceptably low” at primary care sites, but particularly for telehealth visits, researchers reported.

According to Anthony Zhong, MA, an MD candidate at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues, little is known about how telehealth affects a patient’s likelihood of completing tests and specialty referrals, also known as “diagnostic loop closure.” Read the article in Healio.

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Letter to the Editor: Medicare

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Written and submitted by Robert Lalley of Silver Spring.

As a heart transplant recipient, I am upset by recent Medicare coverage rollbacks by private contractors that limit some patients’ ability to receive simple diagnostic blood tests that detect early signs of organ transplant rejection so doctors can make rapid treatment decisions. This is very concerning because research shows that one out of three heart transplants fail after 5 years, making proactive monitoring essential to patient care.
Read the full article in The Sentinel Newspapers.

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OHSU heart transplant patient thriving nearly three decades after surgery

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Sharol Lucey, one of the longest-living heart transplant patients in Oregon, honors her donor by living life to the fullest, helping others along the way

By Christine Torres Hicks

Grandkids, beach trips, family-filled Christmases and fresh cinnamon rolls are just some memories Sharol Lucey has been making the past 26 years — thanks to a heart donated in 1997.

Lucey is among the longest-living heart transplant patients in Oregon. As she has for many of the past 26 years, the 76-year-old Vancouver resident joined others who have benefited from organ transplants during an August event at Oregon Health & Science University to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation. Read the full article in OHSU News.

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Use of kidneys from COVID-positive donors has increased, not linked to worse outcomes

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By Justin Cooper

Kidneys from donors with COVID-19 history are not associated with worse transplant outcomes and are used at higher rates now than earlier in the pandemic, according to a study presented at ASN Kidney Week.

“Every possible strategy to increase the organ pool is important, including using organs from patients infected with COVID-19,” Mengmeng Ji, PhD, MS, MBBS, lead author of the study, told Healio. Read the full article in Healio.

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