Ten years of donor-derived disease: A report of the disease transmission advisory committee.

Despite clinical and laboratory screening of potential donors for transmissible disease, unexpected transmission of disease from donor to recipient remains an inherent risk of organ transplantation. The Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC) was created to review and classify reports of potential disease transmission and use this information to inform national policy and improve patient safety. From January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2017, the DTAC received 2185 reports; 335 (15%) were classified as a proven/probable donor transmission event.

Renal cell carcinoma suspected at time of organ donation 2008-2016: A report of the OPTN ad hoc Disease Transmission Advisory Committee Registry.

All 179 reports to the OPTN of potential renal cell carcinoma (RCC) transmission from 1/1/2008 through 12/31/2016 were reviewed. Cases were divided into those with donor tumor known or suspected at time of transplant (N = 147 donors), and those in which tumor was initially found after transplant (N = 32). We sought to understand the risk of transplanting either the affected kidney, the contralateral kidney or non-renal organs from donors with a suspected/confirmed unilateral RCC.

Donor-derived hepatitis C in the era of increasing intravenous drug use: A report of the Disease Transmission Advisory Committee.

The opioid epidemic has resulted in a potential increase in donors in the testing window period for hepatitis C virus (HCV). We analyzed HCV reports to the Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC) between 2008 and 2016 to estimate the risk of HCV transmission. In 15 of 95 (16%) reports, at least one recipient developed proven/probable donor-derived HCV resulting in 32 infected recipients.

Trends and Patterns in Reporting of Patient Safety Situations in Transplantation.

Analysis and dissemination of transplant patient safety data are essential to understanding key issues facing the transplant community and fostering a "culture of safety." The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network's (OPTN) Operations and Safety Committee de-identified safety situations reported through several mechanisms, including the OPTN's online patient safety portal, through which the number of reported cases has risen sharply. From 2012 to 2013, 438 events were received through either the online portal or other reporting pathways, and about half were self-reports.

Evolution of an integrated public health surveillance system.

There is a growing recognition in maternal and child health of the importance of social, behavioral, biological, and genetic factors across the entire life course. Unfortunately, most state maternal and child health surveillance systems are not designed to readily address longitudinal research questions or track and follow children across multiple programs over time. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) recently integrated its birth defects registry, newborn hearing screening tracking and management system, and electronic birth certificate (EBC) into a robust, Web-based surveillance system called the Virginia Vital Events and Screening Tracking System (VVESTS).