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Antibody Response to 2-Dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Series in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

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“Transplant recipients without prior polymerase chain reaction–confirmed COVID-19 were recruited from across the US to participate in this prospective cohort through a digital campaign. Those who completed the 2-dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine series between December 16, 2020, and March 13, 2021, were included and followed up through April 13, 2021. As described previously,3 semiquantitative antispike serologic testing was undertaken with the Roche Elecsys anti–SARS-CoV-2 S enzyme immunoassay, positive cutoff of at least 0.8 U/mL, which tests for the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, or the EUROIMMUN enzyme immunoassay, positive cutoff of at least 1.1 arbitrary units, which tests for the S1 domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, both key measures of humoral immune response.4,5 This study was approved by the Johns Hopkins institutional review board; participants provided informed consent electronically.

The proportion of patients who developed a positive antibody response was assessed with an exact binomial confidence interval. The Fisher exact test was used to compare categorical variables, such as antimetabolite immunosuppression, and the Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables. All tests were 2-sided with α = .05. Analyses were performed using Stata 16.1/Windows.”

See the full study results, here.

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A Patient Pioneer: Minimally Invasive Lung Transplantation

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Frank Coburn Is the First Patient in Southern California—and Possibly First in the U.S.—to Undergo the Lifesaving Surgery

“To anyone else, it’s just a walk around the block. But for Frank Coburn, 57, and his wife, it’s a miracle.

A miracle that resulted from Coburn becoming the first Southern Californian—and possibly first in the U.S.—to receive a minimally invasive double lung transplant. The procedure was performed at the Smidt Heart Institute.

“After getting the call that a pair of lungs became available and I needed to be at the hospital immediately, I remember being wheeled into the operating room, finally feeling calm and ready to trust the process,” recalled Coburn, a Huntington Beach resident and longtime boat mechanic. “Once I woke up, my care team shared I had undergone a minimally invasive procedure instead of the traditional, more invasive approach. I was so fortunate and felt so proud to be the first. Truly lucky.”

During a routine lung transplant, surgeons usually create a “clamshell” or sternotomy incision, which involves breaking the breastbone in two pieces and requires many patients to rely on a heart-lung machine.”

Read the full story, here.

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Mayo Clinic Q And A: How lung restoration improves organ availability

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“DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was reading about lung restoration and innovation in the field of lung transplantation. Can you share more about this?

ANSWER: Over the past several years, devices outside the body have been used to evaluate human lungs donated for organ transplant before the lungs are transplanted. In the future, lung restoration may increasingly be used to treat donated lungs to make them healthier, so they could be viable for a transplant. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of a device known as the Xvivo Perfusion System with Steen Solution Perfusate, which is being used at Mayo Clinic in Florida, in a model constructed to make organs available regionally. Other systems are being investigated.

A lung transplant can be a lifesaving procedure for people with serious lung diseases, such as pulmonary hypertension, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis or cystic fibrosis. But the number of lungs available for transplant consistently falls far short of the number of people waiting for a lung transplant.”

Read the full Q&A, here.

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Advancements in Lung Transplants with the Cleveland Clinic Team

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“A trio of experts from the Cleveland Clinic join Dr. Rizzo for a talk on lung transplant trends and challenges in the US.

There are approximately just 2000 lung transplants conducted annually in the US—a rate which pales significantly to counts of yearly kidney and liver transplants, and is similar to the rate of heart transplants.

The count is in spite of numerous opportunities borne by the growing rate of possibly lethal chronic lung disease in the country, as well as by the fact that lung transplant has become a refined practice since first attempted a half-century ago.”

Listen to the podcast, here.

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Japanese Doctors Perform World’s First Living Donor Lung Transplant on COVID-19 Patient

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“A COVID-19 patient in Japan has received the world’s first lung transplant from living donors.

Receiving transplant lung tissue from her son and husband, the patient underwent an 11-hour operation at Kyoto University Hospital to receive her transplant last Wednesday.

The woman who underwent the operation contracted COVID-19 late last year. According to Kyoto University Hospital, she spent months on a life support machine acting as an artificial lung, because hers had become no longer functional. It’s expected that she’ll recover from last week’s operation within months.”

Read the full story, here.

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How Common is Cancer in Organ Transplant Recipients?

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As an organ transplant recipient, you already “know” several things:

  • You know what the anxiety and stress of end-stage organ disease feels like
  • You know that your life has been improved after receiving your transplant
  • You know that by taking care of your transplant, you can reduce the risk of rejection of the organ

Did you also know that the important immunosuppressants (anti-rejection medications) you take to prevent your body from rejecting your transplanted kidney, heart, lung, or liver may increase your risk of developing certain types of
cancer?1

While the risk of dying from cancer is low, you need to be proactive and get screened for various types of cancer—most notably skin cancer.

Read the full article, here.

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UNOS: COVID-19 Update

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“On Oct. 28, two new diagnosis codes for lung candidates and two new diagnosis codes for heart candidates will be added to UNetSM. Additionally, there will be an update to an existing code available for heart candidates. The purpose of adding these options is to specify when COVID-19 related organ failure is the cause for lung and heart candidate listings.”

Read the full update by UNOS, here.

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How to Make The Best Organ Donation and Transplant System in the World Even Better

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“Organ transplantation works for people who have end-stage organ failure. In almost all cases, it works better for people with kidney, liver, and lung failure than any other treatment available. People come to the organ donation waiting list because they know an organ transplant is a gift of life. That means that as good as our system is, it needs to be even better to be able to serve the more than 100,000 people waiting for organs at any given time.”

Read the full blog post from UNOS here.

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