A modified surgical model of fulminant hepatic failure in the rat.

in Journal of Surgical Research (2013), 181

BACKGROUND: There is a need for better animal models of fulminant liver failure (FHF). Eguchi et al described an interesting surgical model of FHF in the rat. This model includes 68% partial hepatectomy ... [more ▼]

BACKGROUND: There is a need for better animal models of fulminant liver failure (FHF). Eguchi et al described an interesting surgical model of FHF in the rat. This model includes 68% partial hepatectomy, ischemia of 24% of the liver mass, and 8% of remnant liver left intact. In the original description by Eguchi et al, rats were administered subcutaneous glucose. However, the authors found that normothermic FHF rats with subcutaneous glucose died from deep hypoglycemia. In this report, we describe a modification of that model, and show that administration of intravenous glucose allows better survival and development of intracranial hypertension. METHODS: We operated on FHF rats using the procedure described by Eguchi et al, kept them normothermic, and maintained normoglycemia by continuous intravenous glucose injection (glucose 10%, 1 mL/h). At 24 h, we monitored liver blood tests (n = 5), intracranial pressure (n = 5), clinical encephalopathy, and survival (n = 10), and compared them with sham and 68% hepatectomy rats. RESULTS: The FHF rats developed acute cytolysis, cholestasis, and liver failure, as demonstrated by the liver blood tests. They experienced progressive encephalopathy and intracranial hypertension leading to death. Mean survival was 45.9 h. Of 10 FHF rats from the survival evaluation cohort, one survived 7 d. Laparotomy showed necrosis of lateral liver lobes and enlargement of omental lobes with a normal hepatic aspect, suggesting liver recovery. CONCLUSIONS: This surgical rat model mimics the features of human FHF and seems interesting for further research into the pathophysiology and therapeutic management of the disease. [less ▲]

Is ultra-short cold ischemia the key to IBDL avoidance in DCD-LT?

Poster (2013, February 08)

Do Maastricht category III donation after cardiovascular death (DCD) donors experience end-of-life shortening?

Poster (2013, February 08)

What is the potential increase in the heart graft pool by cardiac donation after circulatory death?

in Transplant International (2013), 26(1), 61-66

Heart transplantation remains the only definite treatment option for end-stage heart diseases. The use of hearts procured after donation after circulatory death (DCD) could help decrease the heart graft ... [more ▼]

Heart transplantation remains the only definite treatment option for end-stage heart diseases. The use of hearts procured after donation after circulatory death (DCD) could help decrease the heart graft shortage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential increase in heart graft pool by developing DCD heart transplantation. We retrospectively reviewed our local donor database from 2006 to 2011, and screened the complete controlled DCD donor population for potential heart donors, using the same criteria as for donation after brain death (DBD) heart transplantation. Acceptable donation warm ischemic time (DWIT) was limited to 30 min. During this period 177 DBD and 70 DCD were performed. From the 177 DBD, a total of 70 (39.5%) hearts were procured and transplanted. Of the 70 DCD, eight (11%) donors fulfilled the criteria for heart procurement with a DWIT of under 30 min. Within the same period, 82 patients were newly listed for heart transplantation, of which 53 were transplanted, 20 died or were unlisted, and 9 were waiting. It could be estimated that 11% of the DCD might be heart donors, representing a 15% increase in heart transplant activity, as well as potential reduction in the deaths on the waiting list by 40%. [less ▲]

Donation after cardio-circulatory death liver transplantation.

in World Journal of Gastroenterology (2012), 18(33), 4491-506

The renewed interest in donation after cardio-circulatory death (DCD) started in the 1990s following the limited success of the transplant community to expand the donation after brain-death (DBD) organ ... [more ▼]

The renewed interest in donation after cardio-circulatory death (DCD) started in the 1990s following the limited success of the transplant community to expand the donation after brain-death (DBD) organ supply and following the request of potential DCD families. Since then, DCD organ procurement and transplantation activities have rapidly expanded, particularly for non-vital organs, like kidneys. In liver transplantation (LT), DCD donors are a valuable organ source that helps to decrease the mortality rate on the waiting lists and to increase the availability of organs for transplantation despite a higher risk of early graft dysfunction, more frequent vascular and ischemia-type biliary lesions, higher rates of re-listing and re-transplantation and lower graft survival, which are obviously due to the inevitable warm ischemia occurring during the declaration of death and organ retrieval process. Experimental strategies intervening in both donors and recipients at different phases of the transplantation process have focused on the attenuation of ischemia-reperfusion injury and already gained encouraging results, and some of them have found their way from pre-clinical success into clinical reality. The future of DCD-LT is promising. Concerted efforts should concentrate on the identification of suitable donors (probably Maastricht category III DCD donors), better donor and recipient matching (high risk donors to low risk recipients), use of advanced organ preservation techniques (oxygenated hypothermic machine perfusion, normothermic machine perfusion, venous systemic oxygen persufflation), and pharmacological modulation (probably a multi-factorial biologic modulation strategy) so that DCD liver allografts could be safely utilized and attain equivalent results as DBD-LT. [less ▲]

Primary hyperparathyroidism confirmed by histology : sensitivity and predictors of 99mTc-Sestamibi/CT scan

in Abstract Book - 13th International Workshop on Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (2012, September)

Liège experience in donation after cardiac death liver transplantation: 2003-2011

in Acta Chirurgica Belgica (2012, May), 112(3), 6811

Objectives: Results of DCD-LT at the University Hospital of Liège were evaluated from 2003 to 2011. Methods: Medical records of 56 DCD liver recipients were retrospectively reviewed with regard to patient ... [more ▼]

Objectives: Results of DCD-LT at the University Hospital of Liège were evaluated from 2003 to 2011. Methods: Medical records of 56 DCD liver recipients were retrospectively reviewed with regard to patient and graft survivals and biliary complications. Mean follow-up was 26.4 months. Mean donor age was 56.3±14.5 years (25 - 83). Donor causes of death were due to anoxia (51.8%), stroke (32.1%) and head trauma (14.3%). Mean WIT, CIT and suture time were 20.5±7.1min (10 – 39), 265.6±85.1min (105 – 576), and 40.8±7.8 min (25 – 61), respectively. 95% of liver grafts were locally shared. HTK was the most commonly used perfusion solution (86%). Mean recipient age was 56.6±10.5 years (29 – 73). Indications for LT included ESLD (53.6%) and HCC (46.6%). Mean MELD score at transplant was 15.6±6.1points (6 – 40). Results: No primary non-function grafts. Mean peak serum AST and bilirubin levels were 2520±3621UI/L and 50.2±49.2mg/L, respectively. Eight patients (14.3%) developed biliary complications. No intra-hepatic bile duct strictures or re-transplantation. Global patient and graft survival was 92.6% at 3 months, 92.6% at 1 year, 73.8% at 3 years and 60% at 5 years. Death-censored patient and graft survival at the corresponding time points was 92.6%, 92.6%, 87.7% and 87.7%. Thirteen liver grafts were lost during follow-up exclusively due to recipient deaths. The rate of HCC recurrence was 33.3%. Conclusions: Controlled DCD donors are a valuable source of transplantable liver grafts. Primary results are encouraging and apparently as good as those from brain-dead donation LT essentially due to short WIT and CIT. [less ▲]

Liver resection and vascular reconstruction under protective intraportal cooling during a total liver clampage

in Acta Chirurgica Belgica (2012, May), 112(3), 10216

EFFECT OF PARECOXIB, A SELECTIVE COX-2 INHIBITOR, IN THE PREVENTION OF POSTOPERATIVE ADHESIONS IN A RAT MODEL

in Acta Chirurgica Belgica (2012, May), 112(3), 8444

Objectives: Postoperative peritoneal adhesions are frequent after abdominal surgery. Many preventive agents have been tried in animal models and in clinical trials, but up to now, there has been no ... [more ▼]

Objectives: Postoperative peritoneal adhesions are frequent after abdominal surgery. Many preventive agents have been tried in animal models and in clinical trials, but up to now, there has been no definitive strategy to prevent their formation. In this study, the effectiveness of parecoxib (Dynastat®), a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, in preventing experimental intra-abdominal adhesions in rats was studied. Methods: Thirty male rats who underwent a primary surgical procedure aiming at inducing peritoneal injury to produce intraabdominal adhesion, were randomized in three groups: (A) control group, no therapy; (B) intraperitoneal (IP) parecoxib group; (C) intramuscular (IM) parecoxib group. Ten days later, a xyphopubic midline incision was performed and the whole abdominal cavity was explored to score the peritoneal adhesions. Results: Twenty-three rats developed adhesions, 9 (100%) in group A, 7 (70%) in group B and 4 (40%) in group C (P=0.01). The extent and severity scores of adhesion were significantly lower in groups B and C than those in control group (p<0.001). Type of adhesions was measured at 2.25 ± 0.67 in group A, 1.20 ± 0.86 in group B and 0.82 ± 0.80 in group C. This was significantly different between group A and B (p<0.001), between A and C (p<0.001). But no significant difference was found between group B and C (p=0.17). Conclusions: In this study, we found a significant effect on parecoxib in the prevention of postoperative adhesions. But, without avoiding completely the formation of adhesion, parecoxib reduces significantly extent and severity of postoperative adhesions in rats treated with IP or IM parecoxib administration. [less ▲]

Delayed graft function does not harm the future of donation-after- cardiac-death kidney transplants

Conference (2012, March 29)

Introduction: Delayed graft function (DGF) occurs more frequently in kidney transplants from donation after cardiac death (DCD) than from donation after brain death (DBD). We investigated the effect of ... [more ▼]

Introduction: Delayed graft function (DGF) occurs more frequently in kidney transplants from donation after cardiac death (DCD) than from donation after brain death (DBD). We investigated the effect of DGF on post-transplant outcomes in controlled DCD kidney grafts. Patients and Methods: This single-center retrospective study recruited 80 controlled DCD kidney allo- grafts which have been performed at the University Hospital of Sart Tilman, University of Liège, from Jan 2005 to Dec 2011. Results: Mean patient follow-up was 28.5 months. No primary non-function grafts were encountered. DGF rate was 36%. Overall graft survivals between groups with and without DGF were 92.4% and 95.1% at 1 year, 92.4% and 91.7% at 3 years, and 84.7% and 91.7% at 5 years (p=ns), respectively. Patients with and without DGF had the same survival rates at the corresponding time points (92.4% and 97.1%, 92.4% and 93.7%, and 84.7% and 93.7%, p=ns, respectively). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was significantly lower in DGF group compared to non-DGF group at hospital discharge (29 vs 42 ml/min, p=0.001) and up to 1 year post-transplant (46 vs 53 ml/min, p=0.045), but the differ- ence disappeared afterwards (50 vs 48 ml/min at 3 years, and 54 vs 53 ml/min at 5 years, p=ns). DGF did not increase the risk of acute rejection or surgical complications. 29.6% of recipients with DGF de- veloped acute rejection (biopsy-proven rejection and clinically suspected rejection) compared with 29.2% of recipients without DGF (p=ns). The rate of all surgical complications was 33.3% and 25% in recipients with and without DGF (p=ns). However, DGF prolonged significantly the length of hospitaliza- tion in DGF than non-DGF group (18.9 vs 13 days, p=0.000). Donor BMI 􏰤 30 kg/m2􏰁􏰀􏰚􏰌􏰈􏰏􏰥􏰏􏰌􏰝􏰣􏰀􏰕􏰉􏰂􏰀􏰤 30 kg/m2 and pre-transplant dialysis duration increased the risk of DGF in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: Apart from longer hospital stay, DGF had no deleterious impact on the future of DCD kidney allografts. Comparable graft and patient survival, renal function, rejection rate and surgical com- plications were observed between groups with and without DGF. [less ▲]