Publications by authors named "Oren K Fix"

Introduction: Early (i.e., without mandated period of abstinence) liver transplant (LT) for alcohol-associated hepatitis is the fastest-growing indication for LT in the United States and Europe.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a remarkable impact on the field of liver transplantation. Increasing evidence demonstrates a minimal risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from non-lung donors who test positive for SARS-CoV-2; however, the risks of donor-derived SARS-CoV-2 from liver donors are unknown. We present our experience with two cases in which a liver was transplanted successfully from a brain-dead donor with incidental SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a large impact on patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and liver transplantation (LT) recipients. Patients with advanced CLD are at a significantly increased risk of poor outcomes in the setting of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. The pandemic has also considerably altered the management and care that is provided to patients with CLD, pre-LT patients, and LT recipients.

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Early liver transplantation (LT) for alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is the fastest growing indication for LT, but prediction of harmful alcohol use post-LT remains limited. Among 10 ACCELERATE-AH centers, we examined psychosocial evaluations from consecutive LT recipients for AH from 2006 to 2017. A multidisciplinary panel used content analysis to develop a maximal list of psychosocial variables.

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Despite the likely benefits of palliative care (PC) for patients with cirrhosis, physician experiences and perspectives about best practices are variable. We aimed to assess PC experience and gaps in training among transplant hepatology fellows. We conducted a national survey of all transplant hepatology fellows enrolled in accredited fellowship programs during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacted a heavy toll on patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). The collective burden of ALD and AUD was large and growing, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. There is accumulating evidence that this pandemic has had a large direct effect on these patients and is likely to produce indirect effects through delays in care, psychological strain, and increased alcohol use.

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The aim of this document is to provide a concise scientific review of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines and those in development, including mRNA, adenoviral vectors, and recombinant protein approaches. The anticipated use of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and liver transplant (LT) recipients is reviewed and practical guidance is provided for health care providers involved in the care of patients with liver disease and LT about vaccine prioritization and administration. The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are associated with a 94%-95% vaccine efficacy compared to placebo against COVID-19.

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Article Synopsis
  • Early liver transplantation (LT) for alcoholic hepatitis (AH) can save lives, but concerns about returning to harmful alcohol use persist; the study aimed to identify patterns of alcohol use after LT to improve candidate selection and post-transplant care.
  • Analysis of data from 153 LT recipients revealed four distinct post-LT alcohol use patterns: abstinent, late/non-heavy, early/non-heavy, and early/heavy, with the majority (71%) remaining abstinent and showing better long-term survival rates.
  • The findings suggest that early alcohol use post-LT is linked to higher mortality rates and correlates with certain pre-transplant characteristics, which can guide both the selection of candidates for transplantation and their follow-up care.
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Background And Aims: Liver disease is prevalent in the United States, and as the population ages, an increasing number of patients are anticipated to present for care. The state of the current hepatology workforce and future demand for hepatology providers is not known. The aim of this study was to model future projections for hepatology workforce demand.

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The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic has drastically altered all facets of clinical care and research. Clinical research in hepatology has had a rich tradition in several domains, including the discovery and therapeutic development for diseases such as hepatitis B and C and studying the natural history of many forms of chronic liver disease. National Institutes of Health, foundation, and industry funding have provided important opportunities to advance the academic careers of young investigators while they strived to make contributions to the field.

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Background And Aims: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is rapidly spreading throughout the world. Hospitals and healthcare providers are preparing for the anticipated surge in critically ill patients, but few are wholly equipped to manage this new disease. The goals of this document are to provide data on what is currently known about COVID-19, and how it may impact hepatologists and liver transplant providers and their patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how U.S. hepatology practitioners view and manage the use of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for patients with hepatitis C who also have hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), despite differences in opinions regarding HCC recurrence risks following DAA treatment.
  • Out of 476 surveyed providers, a majority believe that DAAs are beneficial for patients who have successfully been treated for HCC, recommending them for early-stage patients, but less so for those with intermediate or advanced HCC.
  • There is a notable variation in when providers prefer to start DAA therapy after HCC treatments, with many suggesting initiation within three months post-surgery or procedure, while others advocate for
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Introduction And Aim: Real-world epidemiologic data to guide hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related public health initiatives are lacking. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of a large cohort of patients with an HCV diagnosis evaluated in one of the largest health systems in the United States.

Materials And Methods: De-identified demographic and clinical data were extracted from the electronic health record for patients actively followed within the Providence Health & Services health care system.

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Background & Aims: Early liver transplantation (without requiring a minimum period of sobriety) for severe alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is controversial: many centers delay eligibility until a specific period of sobriety (such as 6 months) has been achieved. To inform ongoing debate and policy, we modeled long-term outcomes of early vs delayed liver transplantation for patients with AH.

Methods: We developed a mathematical model to simulate early vs delayed liver transplantation for patients with severe AH and different amounts of alcohol use after transplantation: abstinence, slip (alcohol use followed by sobriety), or sustained use.

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