Pausing transplants in the face of a global pandemic: Patient survival implications.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted normal operating procedures at transplant centers. With the possibility that COVID-19 infection carries an overall 4% mortality rate and potentially a 24% mortality rate among the immunocompromised transplant recipients, many transplant centers considered the possibility of slowing down and even potentially pausing all transplants. Many proposals regarding the need for pausing organ transplants exist; however, much remains unknown.

Economic Analysis and Long-term Follow-up of Distant Referral for Degenerative Mitral Valve Repair.

Background: Despite the superiority of mitral valve repair (MVr) over replacement for degenerative disease, repair rates vary widely across centers. Traveling to a mitral reference center (MRC) is 1 way to increase the odds of MVr. This study assessed the economic value (quality/cost) and long-term outcomes of distant referral to an MRC.

Looking inward: The impact of operative time on graft survival after liver transplantation.

Background: Operative time often has been cited as an important factor for postoperative outcomes. Despite this belief, most efforts to improve liver transplant outcomes have largely focused on only patient and donor factors, and little attention has been paid on operative time. The primary objective of this project was to determine the impact of operative time on graft survival after liver transplant.