Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation

Vascular changes in vascularized composite allotransplantation
Song EY, Barrow BE and Cendales LC
Allograft vasculopathy in vascularized composite allografts (VCA) remains understudied. This review explores the vascular changes in VCA, focused on recent literature.
Grasping time - longevity of vascularized composite allografts
Messner F, Sardu C and Petruzzo P
Despite significant advancements in the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation, challenges, particularly regarding the long-term viability and functionality of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) grafts, persist. This paper provides a review of the current literature on the longevity of VCA grafts, focusing on factors influencing graft survival, immunological considerations and clinical outcomes.
Editorial introductions
Ethical issues in organ procurement: donation after normothermic regional perfusion in liver transplantation
Nguyen BM
With ongoing organ shortages, new perfusion technologies are being embraced to help fill the unmet requirement. Improvement in utilization of donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors has the potential to greatly expand the pool of usable liver allografts. Normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) has been shown to increase usage of DCD donors and improve recipient outcomes. Yet, there remains heterogeneity in its usage worldwide.
Collaborative care models in adult congenital heart disease transplant
Kearney K, McDonald M and Roche L
While multidisciplinary collaboration is a tenant of quality heart failure care and critical to the success of transplant programs, this essay challenges the temptation to shoehorn adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients into preexisting processes and paradigms. We explore the development of more relevant models, purposefully designed to improve ACHD transplant volumes and outcomes.
Ethics of abortion in transplantation
Ramos HC and Hill A
The controversial medical procedure of abortion is the subject of this article. It argues that for transplant patients, including recipients, abortion is ethical.
Ethical considerations in lung re-transplantation
Lester LA, Huang VP, Wightman SC and Rosenberg GM
Patients undergoing re-transplantation constitute a growing proportion of annual lung transplants. It is necessary to consider ethical considerations of re-transplantation in parallel with clinical progress.
Interdisciplinary crosstalk for enduring and future challenges in lung transplantation
Shigemura N
Establishing an upper extremity transplantation program: lessons learnt over 12 years
Zuo KJ, Zaccardelli A and Talbot SG
As one of the early hand transplant programs in the world, we are often asked to educate other programs on the lessons we have learned and on how to set up a successful hand transplantation program.
The current state of tolerance induction in vascularized composite allotransplantation
Blades CM, Huang CA and Mathes DW
Significant advancements have been made in the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA); however, like solid organ transplantation, bypassing the recipient's immune response remains a significant obstacle to long-term allograft survival. Therefore, strategies to overcome acute and chronic rejection and minimize immunosuppressive therapy are crucial for the future of VCA. This review highlights recent attempts to induce tolerance in VCA and discusses key findings through a clinical lens.
Tracheal transplantation: lessons learned that may apply to lung transplantation
Genden EM and Chen YW
The purpose of this review is to explore the lessons learned from experimental and human tracheal transplantation to determine if this information may be applied to lung transplantation.
Update on the immunological mechanisms of primary graft dysfunction and chronic lung allograft dysfunction
Jeong JC, Gelman AE and Chong AS
Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) and chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) are the leading causes of graft loss in lung transplant recipients. The development of mouse lung transplant models has allowed for the genetic dissection of cellular and molecular pathways that prevent graft survival. This review provides an overview into recent mechanistic insights into PGD and CLAD.
Future directions for xenotransplantation in lungs
Hara H, Sahara H and Chen-Yoshikawa TF
Advancements in preclinical xenotransplant studies have opened doors for clinical heart and kidney xenotransplantation. This review assesses recent progress in lung xenotransplantation research and its potential clinical implications.
Progress towards permanent respiratory support
Shin S, Nasim U, O'Connor H and Hong Y
Although lung transplantation stands as the gold standard curative therapy option for end-stage lung disease, the scarcity of available organs poses a significant challenge in meeting the escalating demand. This review provides an overview of recent advancements in ambulatory respiratory assist systems, selective anticoagulation therapies that target the intrinsic pathway, and innovative surface coatings to enable permanent respiratory support as a viable alternative to lung transplantation.
Integrating risks and benefits: pretransplant assessment and patient selection for heart transplantation in adult congenital heart disease
Lewis MJ, Schlendorf KH and Reardon LC
The number of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients presenting for consideration of heart transplantation continues to grow. Comprehensive pretransplant assessment and thoughtful patient selection are of critical importance to mitigate perioperative and posttransplant morbidity and mortality in this population.
Mechanical circulatory support devices in adults with congenital heart disease
Garba DL, Joseph S and Cedars A
Mechanical circulatory support is used frequently as a method of stabilizing patients with end stage heart failure who are unable to safely await allograft availability. While this technology has been fundamentally important in supporting patients with normal cardiac anatomy, it is still used infrequently in adult patients with congenital heart disease and end-stage heart failure. Here, we review the data on mechanical circulatory support technology in this small but growing population of patients with chronic heart disease prone to the development of circulatory failure.
Innovations in transplant techniques for complex anomalies
Vandendriessche K, Rega F and Van De Bruaene A
With advances in the field of congenital cardiac surgery and in the management of congenital heart defects in early life, the population of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients is increasing. End-stage heart failure is currently the main cause of cardiovascular mortality and is expected to increase in the coming years. This review summarizes recent innovations in transplant techniques, with special attention to what is known in the population of ACHD recipients.
The use of digital health interventions to deliver prehabilitation in solid organ transplant recipients: are we there yet?
Briggs J, Chilcot J and Greenwood SA
Prehabilitation, defined as preparing the body physically and psychologically for upcoming surgery is of increasing prominence in presurgical care. The aim of this review is to discuss the evidence base around prehabilitation in solid organ transplantation, the use of digital health as a tool to deliver these interventions, and consider future directions.
The perspective for next-generation lung replacement therapies: functional whole lung generation by blastocyst complementation
Shimizu D, Miura A and Mori M
Blastocyst complementation represents a promising frontier in next-generation lung replacement therapies. This review aims to elucidate the future prospects of lung blastocyst complementation within clinical settings, summarizing the latest studies on generating functional lungs through this technique. It also explores and discusses host animal selection relevant to interspecific chimera formation, a challenge integral to creating functional human lungs via blastocyst complementation.
Unraveling the spectrum of airway complications following lung transplantation: a comprehensive overview
Dhanani Z, Criner R and Criner GJ
This review delves into the intricate landscape of airway complications post lung transplantation. With the rising prevalence of end-stage lung disease and the increasing number of lung transplantation worldwide, understanding and effectively managing airway complications are crucial. Given the nuanced nature of these complications and the array of treatment options available, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how to identify, classify, mitigate risk factors for, and manage these complications.
The importance of equity in transplant oncology
Kodali S, Brombosz EW, Abdelrahim M and Mobley CM
Transplant oncology encompasses and utilizes liver transplantation (LT) in combination with other aspects of cancer care to offer improved long-term outcomes for patients with liver cancer, but not all patients have equal access and ability to undergo LT. Social determinants of health may negatively impact a patient's ability to receive liver-related oncologic care, including LT. This review highlights recent work exposing gaps in access to LT, including transplant oncology, and interventions to ameliorate these disparities.