This month’s key articles were selected by Ryan Chadha, David Victor, and Young In Yoon.

HEPATOLOGY

Transplantation
Influence of the ABO Blood Group System on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Liver Transplantation
Background: The ABO blood group system may influence tumorigenesis, but its prognostic value in liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has never been assessed. Read more

American Journal of Transplantation
Not everything that counts can be counted: Tracking long-term outcomes in pediatric liver transplant recipients
For pediatric liver transplant (LT) recipients, an ideal outcome is to survive and thrive into adulthood. However, outcomes reporting for all LT recipients typically rely on much shorter-term outcomes, 1-5 years post-LT. Using Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) registry data from 1990 to 2018, this analysis seeks to determine if long-term follow-up and outcome data are complete for pediatric LT recipients age 0 to 12 years who survive at least 1 year post-LT without graft loss (n = 9309). Read more

Liver Transplantation
Risk factors for post-transplant mortality in recipients with grade 3 acute-on-chronic liver failure: analysis of a North American consortium
Though liver transplantation (LT) yields survival benefit for patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure grade 3 (ACLF-3), knowledge gaps remain regarding risk factors for post-LT mortality. Read more

SURGERY

JAMA Surgery
Impact of Portable Normothermic Blood-Based Machine Perfusion on Outcomes of Liver Transplant: The OCS Liver PROTECT Randomized Clinical Trial
Importance: Ischemic cold storage (ICS) of livers for transplant is associated with serious posttransplant complications and underuse of liver allografts.Objective: To determine whether portable normothermic machine perfusion preservation of livers obtained from deceased donors using the Organ Care System (OCS) Liver ameliorates early allograft dysfunction (EAD) and ischemic biliary complications (IBCs). Read more

Hepatology
The use of nondirected donor organs in living donor liver transplantation: Perspectives and guidance
Interest in anonymous nondirected living organ donation is increasing in the United States and a small number of transplantation centers are accumulating an experience regarding nondirected donation in living donor liver transplantation. Read more

Liver Transplantation
Surgical outcomes of domino liver transplantation using grafts from living donors with familial amyloid polyneuropathy
Domino liver transplantation (DLT) using grafts from donors with familial amyloid polyneuropathy is an acceptable procedure for expanding the donor pool. The vascular and biliary reconstructions in living donor DLT (LDDLT) are technically demanding, and data on the short- and long-term surgical outcomes of domino donors and recipients in LDDLT are limited. Read more

ANESTHESIOLOGY AND CRITICAL CARE

Transplantation
Consensus Statement on Hemostatic Management, Anticoagulation, and Antiplatelet Therapy in Liver Transplantation
Anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapies are increasingly used in liver transplant (LT) candidates and recipients due to cardiovascular comorbidities, portal vein thrombosis, or to manage posttransplant complications. The implementation of the new direct-acting oral anticoagulants and the recently developed antiplatelet drugs is a great challenge for transplant teams worldwide, as their activity must be monitored and their complications managed, in the absence of robust scientific evidence. Read more

Clinical Transplantation
Postreperfusion syndrome in liver transplantation: Outcomes, predictors, and application for recipient selection
Background: This study aimed to identify risk factors for postreperfusion syndrome (PRS) and its impact on LT outcomes. Read more

Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
Transcatheter interventions for valvular heart diseases in liver cirrhosis patients
There is an increasing prevalence of patients who have both liver cirrhosis (LC) and severe valvular heart disease. This combination typically poses prohibitive risk for liver transplantation. LC related malnourishment, hypoalbuminemia and hyperdynamic circulation places patients with severe LC at higher rates for significant bleeding and/or thrombosis, as well as infectious and renal complications, after either surgical or transcatheter valvular interventions. Read more