Non-Lung Solid Organ Transplantation From SARS-CoV-2-Positive Donors to Uninfected Recipients.

Background: There is a paucity of evidence on the risk of donor-recipient transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 in solid organ transplant recipients. Initial impressions suggest non-lung solid organs may be safely transplanted from SARS-CoV-2-positive donors without risk of viral transmission.

Methods: We reviewed clinical results of transplants in which SARS-CoV-2-negative recipients received non-lung solid organs from SARS-CoV-2-positive donors at a single transplant center.

Implementing a regional standardized BK polyomavirus screening protocol across eleven transplant centres.

BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) reactivation is regularly monitored after kidney transplant to prevent progression to BK associated nephropathy (BKAN). The New England BK Consortium, made up of 12 transplant centres in the northeastern United States, conducted a quality improvement project to examine adherence to an agreed upon protocol for BKPyV screening for kidney transplants performed in calendar years 2016-2017. In a total of 1047 kidney transplant recipients (KTR) from 11 transplant centres, 204 (19%) had BKPyV infection, defined as detection of BKPyV in plasma, with 41 (4%) KTR progressing to BKAN, defined by either evidence on biopsy tissues or as determined by treating nephrologists.

Evaluation of a multimodal analgesic regimen on outcomes following laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy.

Postoperative pain is a significant source of morbidity in patients undergoing living donor nephrectomy (LDN) and a deterrent for candidates. We implemented a standardized multimodal analgesic regimen, which consists of pharmacist-led pre-procedure pain management education, a combination transversus abdominis plane and rectus sheath block performed by the regional anesthesia team, scheduled acetaminophen and gabapentin, and as-needed opioids. This single-center retrospective study evaluated outcomes between patients undergoing LDN who received a multimodal analgesic regimen and a historical cohort.

Evaluation of cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in low and intermediate risk kidney transplant recipients receiving lymphocyte-depleting induction.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a significant cause of morbidity in kidney transplant recipients (KTR). Historically at our institution, KTR with low and intermediate CMV risk received 6 months of valganciclovir if they received lymphocyte depleting induction therapy. This study evaluates choice and duration of CMV prophylaxis based on donor (D) and recipient (R) CMV serostatus and the incidence of post-transplant CMV viremia in low (D-/R-) and intermediate (R+) risk KTR receiving lymphocyte-depleting induction therapy.

Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Kidney Transplantation: The Mount Sinai Experience.

Mount Sinai Hospital in New York has a long history in the field of organ transplantation. The first kidney transplant at Mount Sinai was performed in 1967 by the late Dr. Lewis Burrows and the first laparoscopic donor nephrectomy in New York was performed at Mount Sinai in 1996.

Effect of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin on anti-HLA antibodies in sensitized kidney transplant candidates.

Limited data exist on the effect of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) on anti-HLA antibodies as determined by solid-phase assays. We reviewed our experience treating sensitized wait-listed kidney transplant recipients with IVIg as a method for desensitization and report our results utilizing Luminex single antigen (LSA) bead assay to quantify antibody reactivity (MFI). Fifteen patients with a cPRA > 40% received 2 g/kg IVIg per month for four months or until transplanted.

Pregnancy in renal transplant recipients.

Women with renal disease face increasing infertility and high-risk pregnancy as they approach end-stage renal disease due to uremia. Renal transplantation has provided these patients the ability to return to a better quality of life, and for a number of women who are of child bearing age with renal disease, it has restored their fertility and provided the opportunity to have children. But, although fertility is restored, pregnancy in these women still harbors risk to the mother, graft, and fetus.