BACKGROUND Apixaban is increasingly used instead of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for long-term anticoagulation during HeartMate 3 (HM3) support. However, data on its pharmacokinetics in this context is lacking. We present real-world data on apixaban levels and outcomes in adult and pediatric HM3 patients, and evaluate our dosing strategy based on plasma sampling. METHODS Since June-2023, all new HM3

BACKGROUND Heart transplantation (HT) survival and waitlist times are established outcome metrics. Patient-centered HT outcomes are insufficiently characterized. This study evaluates the role of days alive and outside the hospital (DAOH) as a candidate patient-centered HT performance measure. METHODS The study cohort included Medicare beneficiaries undergoing HT (July 2008-December 2017). The percent

BACKGROUND Lung continuous distribution (CD), implemented on March 9, 2023, changed the calculation and relative importance of medical urgency and posttransplant survival in prioritizing candidates for transplant. We aimed to identify factors associated with waitlist clinical deterioration and change in expected posttransplant survival from listing to transplant in the current system. METHODS We used

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) plays a crucial role in the development of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) following lung transplantation. A promising novel approach to optimize donor organs before transplantation and reduce the incidence of PGD is mitochondrial transplantation. In this study, we explored the delivery of isolated mitochondria in 4 hour ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) before transplantation

BACKGROUND Multicomponent improvement (MCI) is a novel endpoint for predicting survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), included in the sotatercept clinical program. For the first time, we investigated the prognostic value of MCI, ESC/ERS 4-strata risk (4SR) assessment, and the non-invasive French risk stratification score (FRS), for predicting survival in PAH patients in Sweden

BACKGROUND Although the demand for allografts continuously surpasses the supply, the majority of lungs offered for transplant are declined based on various factors, including donor age. This in turn sustains the wait-list mortality of patients with end-stage pulmonary disease. METHODS In this single center, observational cohort study we investigated the impact of donor age on graft survival. We additionally

BACKGROUND Approximately 2700 lung transplants are performed annually in the United States. These patients are at increased risk of developing low bone mineral density (osteopenia/osteoporosis) and subsequent osteoporosis-related fractures. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the most common method used for screening for low BMD, however, the optimal surveillance frequency for low BMD using DXA

BACKGROUND Missing data can undermine a registry's ability to draw valid inferences by decreasing study power and introducing bias. We evaluated how missing data are reported and addressed in observational studies of adult heart transplantation (HT) recipients using the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. METHODS We conducted a systematic literature search of Medline from January 1st

BACKGROUND Management of tacrolimus trough levels influences morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation. Several studies have explored pharmacokinetic and artificial intelligence models to monitor tacrolimus levels. However, many models depend on a wide range of variables, some of which, like genetic polymorphisms, are not commonly tested for in regular clinical practice. This study aimed to

Temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) using extracorporeal life support (ECLS), has been widely implemented in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS), although evidence regarding its efficacy and safety remains unclear. This lack of clarity has recently raised concerns about the role of tMCS in CS management. Conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the context of CS poses significant

INTRODUCTION The Organ Care System and Non-ischemic Heart Preservation methods have emerged as significant advancements in heart transplantation, designed to mitigate ischemic injury and extend preservation times. However, their high costs and logistical complexities necessitate strategic utilization. METHODS We evaluated data from 83,761 heart transplants registered in the International Society for

Pediatric heart transplantation (HTx) faces challenges such as limited donor availability and the need for complex reconstructions, particularly in patients with congenital anomalies. Ex vivo perfusion offers a promising approach to minimize graft ischemic time and potentially expand the donor pool. We report our single-center experience using the TransMedics Organ Care System (OCS) for ex vivo perfusion

BACKGROUND Non-intubated extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become an increasingly common method of support for patients with severe respiratory failure. Since data on its use as a bridge to lung transplant remain limited to single-center studies, we evaluated its use in a national cohort. METHODS Adult lung-only transplant recipients bridged with ECMO 5/4/2005-3/8/2023 in the United Network

BACKGROUND The management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has advanced significantly in recent years, thereby improving patient prognosis. However, the impact of cancer on the outcomes of patients with CTEPH under current treatment remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cancer in patients with CTEPH and determine how comorbid cancer affects their

BACKGROUND In lung transplantation (LuTx), various ischemic phases exist, yet the rewarming ischemia time (RIT) during implantation has often been overlooked. During RIT, lungs are deflated and exposed to the body temperature in the recipient's chest cavity. Our prior clinical findings demonstrated that prolonged RIT increases the risk of primary graft dysfunction. However, the molecular mechanisms

BACKGROUND Right ventricular (RV) pressure-volume (PV) loops require postacquisition volume calibration by cardiac MRI (CMR) or hypertonic saline (HS). We defined the impact of these 2 volume calibration methods on rest-to-exercise ventricular contractility (end-systolic elastance: Ees), arterial afterload (Ea), and coupling (Ees/Ea). METHODS In a prospective study, 82 RV PV-loop datapoints (rest,

Mucosal or endobronchial biopsies (EBB) are typically used in the diagnosis of directly visualized bronchial lesions, infection, and sarcoidosis, but their utility in the evaluation of lung transplant recipients is controversial. EBB represents an attractive alternative to transbronchial biopsy (TBB): EBB provides straightforward sampling of airway pathology with decreased complication rates due to

INTRODUCTION A common limitation to normothermic ex situ heart perfusion (ESHP) is functional decline. We previously designed a cardioprotective normothermic perfusion protocol, incorporating adenosine-lidocaine cardioplegia, subnormothermic reperfusion, pyruvate and methylprednisolone supplementation, and hemofiltration to prevent myocardial functional decline over 4 hours. In this study, we added

BACKGROUND Few tools exist for the early identification of patients at risk for chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). We previously showed hyaluronan (HA), a matrix molecule that regulates lung inflammation and fibrosis, accumulates in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood in CLAD. We aimed to determine if early posttransplant HA elevations inform CLAD risk. METHODS HA was quantified in

BACKGROUND The ScanCLAD study reported a lower incidence of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) with the use of once-daily tacrolimus vs twice-daily cyclosporine. Using the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Thoracic Organ Transplant (TTX) Registry data, we evaluated the hypothesis that tacrolimus is superior to cyclosporine in real-world clinical practice. METHODS

BACKGROUND Partial cardiac sympathetic reinnervation after cardiac transplant has been extensively investigated and evidenced. However, there have been no large-scale, long-term studies evaluating the prevalence, time-course, and association with long-term survival of sympathetic reinnervation of the heart. METHODS Cardiac transplant recipients (n = 232) were recruited from outpatient clinic at a single

BACKGROUND Peak oxygen uptake (pVO2) predicts mortality in patients with heart failure on left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. This follow-up of the PRO-VAD study examines the prognostic value of repeated pVO2 measurements during long-term follow-up. METHODS This multicenter follow-up study included patients from the original PRO-VAD cohort who performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)

BACKGROUND There is significant variability amongst pathologists in the histopathological interpretation of the endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) for acute cellular rejection (ACR) and assessment of variability in the interpretation of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) has not been reported. In contemporary practice, the strategy of allograft surveillance with donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) as compared

BACKGROUND Poor agreement among lung transplant (LTx) pathologists has been reported in the assessment of rejection. In addition to acute rejection (AR) and lymphocytic bronchiolitis (LB), acute lung injury (ALI) and organizing pneumonia (OP) were recently identified as histopathologic risk factors for chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). Therefore, maximizing inter-rater reliability (IRR) for

Allograft dysfunction is the major cause of early morbidity and mortality following cardiac transplantation. Poor graft function can be secondary to transplant complications or, when no identifiable cause is present, primary graft dysfunction (PGD). To standardize the definition of PGD, a consensus conference was convened which produced a document that defines severity categories and criteria for assessing

Heart failure is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in adults with congenital heart disease. However, for many in this population, heart transplantation is not possible or requires longer wait times, necessitating prolonged circulatory support. The medium to long-term durable ventricular assist device therapy provides a possible solution. We analyzed outcomes of 9 patients with congenital

BACKGROUND The lung Composite Allocation Score (CAS) accounts separately for biological disadvantages stemming from candidate blood type and height using consensus-derived heuristics, which do not reflect the true supply of compatible organs available to candidates with specific combinations of blood type and height. Here, we develop an alternative CAS biological disadvantages subscore using a novel

BACKGROUND Infections after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) cause significant morbidity and mortality. Concurrent with increased pre-OHT temporary mechanical circulatory support (MCS), there have been recent concerns of a perceived increase in infections post-OHT. We examined the association between pre-OHT temporary versus durable MCS and post-OHT infection. METHODS We performed a single-center

Right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) function is not systematically quantified by three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography. We tested the hypothesis that loss of RVOT function in pulmonary hypertension (PH) is related to disease severity independently of other echocardiographic parameters. In this observational study, patients with PH, disease controls, and a matched healthy control group underwent

The use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) throughout the perioperative phase of lung transplantation requires nuanced planning and execution by an integrated team of multidisciplinary experts. To date, no multidisciplinary consensus document has examined the perioperative considerations of how to best manage these patients. To address this challenge, this perioperative utilization of ECLS in lung

BACKGROUND Stroke remains a devastating complication of durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy. This study evaluated the incidence and risk factors for early stroke within 7 days following LVAD implantation investigating both traditional pre-implant and new intraoperative variables collected by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Intermacs National Database. METHODS STS Intermacs

BACKGROUND Donation after circulatory death (DCD) and ex-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) have been adopted to expand the donor pool in lung transplantation, but outcomes data have been conflicting. This study explores outcomes of DCD and EVLP lung transplantation in the modern era. METHODS The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried for adult lung transplants from January 1, 2015 to March

Despite increasing therapeutic options and evolving treatment strategies, including targeting 3 therapeutic pathways, in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), morbidity and mortality have remained unacceptably high. Sotatercept is a first-in-class, novel activin signaling inhibitor approved for treating PAH based on evolving efficacy and safety evidence. This state-of-the-art review

Hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) is an emerging technique for donor heart preservation that is currently being studied in multiple clinical trials with promising results. When compared to HOPE for other organs, cardiac protocols involve red blood cell (RBC) supplementation, despite absence of comparative evidence for its benefits. In this perspective paper, we discuss the pros and cons of the

BACKGROUND Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) stands as a major trigger for primary graft dysfunction (PGD) in lung transplantation (LTx). Especially in LTx from donation after cardiac death (DCD), effective control of IRI following warm ischemia (WIRI) is crucial to prevent PGD. This study aimed to identify the key factors affecting WIRI in LTx from DCD. METHODS Previously reported RNA-sequencing dataset

BACKGROUND Microvascular dysfunction after heart transplantation leads to restrictive cardiac allograft physiology (RCP), which is classified as severe coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV); however, the prognosis of RCP remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to elucidate the prognosis of RCP in comparison with that of severe angiographic CAV. METHODS We assessed 116 patients with severe

Long-term survival after lung transplantation remains limited by chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), with 2 main phenotypes: bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) and restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS). We aimed to assess CLAD lung allografts using imaging mass cytometry (IMC), a high dimensional tissue imaging system allowing a multiparametric in situ exploration at a single cell level

BACKGROUND Thoraco-abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (TA-NRP) has emerged as a strategy for evaluating and recovering the heart in controlled donation after the circulatory determination of death (cDCDD). However, its impact on lung grafts remains largely unknown. We aimed to assess the impact of TA-NRP on the outcomes of recipients of cDCDD lungs. METHODS This is a retrospective, multicenter

BACKGROUND Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has emerged as a crucial tool in the care of patients with multiorgan failure and is increasingly utilized as a bridge to transplantation. While data on ECMO as a bridge to isolated heart and lung transplantation have been described, our emerging experience with ECMO as a bridge to thoracic multiorgan transplantation is not yet well understood.

BACKGROUND Patients requiring lung transplant for cystic fibrosis (CF) may require retransplant due to limited graft survival and otherwise excellent life expectancy. Optimal transplant strategy for this population, including single vs double lung retransplant, has not been established. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplant

BACKGROUND In refractory cardiac arrest, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation may increase the survival chance. However, in cases of unsuccessful treatment, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation may additionally provide an important source of organ donors. Therefore, we hypothesized that implementing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation service into a high-volume cardiac arrest