by Jérôme Danion  , Gianluca Donatini  , Sébastien Giraud  , Jean-Louis Kraimps  and Thierry Hauet

Received: 08 April 2019;  Published: 15 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902062

Pancreatic islet transplantation represents an effective therapy with lower morbidity for patients carriers of type 1 diabetes compared to whole pancreas transplantation. Although complete insulin independence is usually not achieved it allows control of glycemia balance reducing the risk of severe hypoglycaemia events and impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia. Recent trials had demonstrated islet transplantation to be more effective than current medical treatment and improvements in outcomes also have been reported [...]

by Richard Cheng  and Jon Kobashigawa

Received: 23 January 2019;  Published: 09 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902061

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) limits long-term survival after heart transplantation. CAV with discrete or tubular lesions can be treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with high procedural success. Revascularization with balloon angioplasty, bare-metal stents, and first-generation drug-eluting stents has been associated with high and unacceptable restenosis rates. However, second-generation drug-eluting stents are associated with favorable stent and lesion patency. Stent and lesion patency now [...]

by James Farag  and Silvana Marasco

Received: 13 February 2019;  Published: 08 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902060

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) improve quality of life in end-stage heart failure patients but a frequent complication is Right heart failure (RHF) causing significant morbidity and mortality. This review article discusses key issues that need to be considered in the assessment and clinical management of RHF in LVAD patients including the use of Right Ventricle (RV) support devices and off-label LVADs as temporary or permanent RV support.

by Naoaki Sakata  , Gumpei Yoshimatsu  and Shohta Kodama

Received: 15 January 2019;  Published: 03 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902059

Total pancreatectomy (TP) is performed for not only malignant pancreatic diseases but also benign disease like chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic injury. However, it always abolishes the pancreatic exo- and endocrine functions and the nutritional condition of the patients is significantly impaired. Thus, especially in the case of benign diseases, the additional treatment for recovering endocrine function is recommended because the permanent endocrine dysfunction must influence their quality of life. Islet and pancr [...]

by Javier Carbone  , Juan Fernandez-Yañez  , Iago Sousa  , Patricia Muñoz  and Elizabeth Sarmiento

Received: 23 November 2018;  Published: 22 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901058

Secondary antibody deficiency has been associated with risk of invasive fungal infections in solid organ transplantation. Single center, multicenter and metanalysis studies have tested this association. Therapy of these infectious complications in the presence of a secondary antibody deficiency after transplantation remain a challenge for transplant teams. Currently, there are no guidelines for the management of this combined clinical scenario. We report the case of a patient with severe secondary immunodeficiency [...]

by Sofia Oliveira Correia  , Catarina Eusébio  , La Salete Martins  , Ana Sofia Cipriano  , Virginia Lopes  , José Ramón Vizcaíno  , António Castro Henriques  , Manuela Almeida  , Sofia Pedroso  , Leonidio Dias  and António Castro Henriques

Received: 18 October 2018;  Published: 07 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901057

We present a case of a renal transplant patient with surgical wound infection 20 1days after kidney transplant.

by Katharina Tigges-Limmer  , Stephan Ensminger  , Yvonne Brocks  , Scott Stock Gissendanner  and Jan Gummert

Received: 28 October 2018;  Published: 05 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901056

Background: The participation of mental health professionals in multidisciplinary care teams for heart transplantation has advanced to international standard practice. The contribution of mental health interventions to patient outcomes in this setting have not been the subject of systematic study. Methods: This paper uses a case study for an initial exploration of how psychotherapists contribute to multidisciplinary decisionmaking and care in transplant teams before, during, and after transplantation. The case is [...]

by Christine A. Beamish  and Omaima M. sabek

Received: 08 November 2018;  Published: 05 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901055

Islet transplantation is a promising technique for millions of patients with diabetes, but is severely limited by a shortage of cadaveric donor islets, and more so because of stringent inclusion criteria for organ donation including donor metabolic function, age, and comorbidities. The impact of these diverse factors on islet health have led to a broad investigation of global influences on islet biology, not least of all, characterization of mature, functional cellular identity and maintenance of appropriate endocr [...]

by Dagan Coppock  , Caytlin Deering  , Shara Epstein  and Dong Heun Lee

Received: 23 December 2018;  Published: 01 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901054

Infections are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplantation (SOT) recipients. Procalcitonin (PCT) has garnered attention as an inflammatory marker that has been shown to be a valuable marker for early identification of systemic bacterial infection. However, interpretation of PCTs value in the different types of infections, transplanted organs, and post-operative courses can be challenging. We review the role of PCT in the management of infections in SOT recipients. First, the PCT level [...]

by Elena Marqués-Sulé  , Raquel López-Vilella  , Alba Cecilia Ruiz Gaitán  , José Ricardo Gimeno Costa  , Rosario Vicente Guillén  , Javier Pemán García  , Ignacio Sánchez-Lázaro  and Luis Almenar Bonet

Received: 15 October 2018;  Published: 27 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901053

In recent years, several agencies have issued warnings about the spread of Candida auris infections, a multi-resistant yeast that is associated with serious infections and with mortality rates as high as 70% with a mortality rate that can reach 70%. This problem is especially serious in patients who are candidates for transplantation, who will receive intense immunosuppression. There are no established criteria on the relevance of this colonization or on when the transplant should be contraindicated in these cases. [...]