A Systematized Review of Professional Employment Following Thoracic Transplantation

Introduction Acknowledging the evolved landscape in thoracic transplantation, professional employment becomes an important outcome measure to quantify the success of this costly procedure. Objective We aimed to assess rates of and characterize factors associated with professional employment in patients following thoracic transplantation, and create an evidence-base on the relationship between professional employment and relevant outcome parameters. Methods We systematically searched Medline, Cinahl, and GoogleScholar to identify studies published between 1998 and 2021 reporting on professional employment following heart and lung transplantation. Results Twenty-two studies from 11 countries with varying sample sizes (N = 27; 10 066) were included. Employment rates ranged from 19.7% to 69.4% for heart, and from 7.4% to 50.8% for lung transplant recipients. Most frequently reported positively associated factors with employment after transplant were younger age, higher education, and history of pretransplant employment. Longer duration of unemployment prior to transplantation and Medicaid coverage were the most frequently reported negatively associated factors. Relationships between professional employment and clinical outcomes included lower rates of acute and chronic rejection, less infection episodes, and better quality of life among working patients; one study reported a lower 5-year-mortality rate. Reasons not to work were “physical or mental health-related,” “employment-related,” “financial reasons,” and “lifestyle choices.” Discussion Substantial proportions of patients following thoracic transplantation are not professionally employed, potentially diminishing the success of transplantation on individual and societal levels. Considering adverse clinical outcomes in employed transplant recipients were low, more efforts are needed to identify modifiable factors for employment in these populations.

Donor NK and T Cells in the Periphery of Lung Transplant Recipients Contain High Frequencies of Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor-Positive Subsets

IntroductionFor end-stage lung diseases, double lung transplantation (DLTx) is the ultimate curative treatment option. However, acute and chronic rejection and chronic dysfunction are major limitations in thoracic transplantation medicine. Thus, a better understanding of the contribution of immune responses early after DLTx is urgently needed. Passenger cells, derived from donor lungs and migrating into the recipient periphery, are comprised primarily by NK and T cells. Here, we aimed at characterizing the expression of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) on donor and recipient NK and T cells in recipient blood after DLTx. Furthermore, we investigated the functional status and capacity of donor vs. recipient NK cells.MethodsPeripheral blood samples of 51 DLTx recipients were analyzed pre Tx and at T0, T24 and 3wk post Tx for the presence of HLA-mismatched donor NK and T cells, their KIR repertoire as well as activation status using flow cytometry.ResultsWithin the first 3 weeks after DLTx, donor NK and T cells were detected in all patients with a peak at T0. An increase of the KIR2DL/S1-positive subset was found within the donor NK cell repertoire. Moreover, donor NK cells showed significantly higher frequencies of KIR2DL/S1-positive cells (p<0.01) 3wk post DLTx compared to recipient NK cells. This effect was also observed in donor KIR+ T cells 3wk after DLTx with higher proportions of KIR2DL/S1 (p<0.05) and KIR3DL/S1 (p<0.01) positive T cells. Higher activation levels of donor NK and T cells (p<0.001) were detected compared to recipient cells via CD25 expression as well as a higher degranulation capacity upon activation by K562 target cells.ConclusionHigher frequencies of donor NK and T cells expressing KIR compared to recipient NK and T cells argue for their origin in the lung as a part of a highly specialized immunocompetent compartment. Despite KIR expression, higher activation levels of donor NK and T cells in the periphery of recipients suggest their pre-activation during the ex situ phase. Taken together, donor NK and T cells are likely to have a regulatory effect in the balance between tolerance and rejection and, hence, graft survival after DLTx.

Recommendations From the Society for the Advancement of Transplant Anesthesiology Fellowship Committee: Core Competencies and Milestones for the Kidney/Pancreas Component of Abdominal Organ Transplant Anesthesia Fellowship

The Society for the Advancement of Transplant Anesthesia (SATA) is dedicated to improving patient care in all facets of transplant anesthesia. The anesthesia fellowship training recommendations for thoracic transplantation (heart and lungs) and part of the abdominal organ transplantation (liver) have been presented in previous publications. The SATA Fellowship Committee has completed the remaining component of abdominal transplant anesthesia (kidney/pancreas) and has assembled core competencies and milestones derived from expert consensus to guide the education and overall preparation of trainees providing care for kidney/pancreas transplant recipients. These recommendations provide a comprehensive approach to pre-operative evaluation, vascular access procedures, advanced hemodynamic monitoring, assessment of coagulation and metabolic abnormalities, operative techniques, and post-operative pain control. As such, this document supplements the current liver/hepatic transplant anesthesia fellowship training programs to include all aspects of “Abdominal Organ Transplant Anesthesia” recommended knowledge.

SARS-CoV-2 and Norovirus Co-Infection after Lung Transplantation

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is spreading as a pandemic in 2020. Few reports on infections in thoracic transplantation have been published so far. We present a case of COVID-19 in a 55-year old female lung transplant recipient infected 5 months posttransplant, who additionally was co-infected with a Norovirus. Respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms were observed without need of therapeutic escalation except for antibiotic therapy. We observed a moderate disease evolution likely due to triple immunosuppression.