A case report on intraportal injection of autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells and liver transplantation in a patient with cirrhosis

To date, liver transplantation remains the only effective treatment for patients with cirrhosis. Due to lack of other effective, alternative therapeutic methods, the search and development of new treatment technologies is problem number one. The development of cellular technologies is promising for use in clinical practice. Using this observation as an example, the safety and efficacy of cell therapy technology for prolonged stay on the liver transplant waiting list by a patient with cirrhosis is shown. After intraportal injection of autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells, liver cirrhosis stabilized on the CTP and MELD-Na scales for 22 months of observation, which allowed the patient to wait for an organ and successfully undergo liver transplantation.

Treatment of Hepatitis C Post-Liver Transplantation Could Mitigate Discard Rates of Hepatitis C-Positive Deceased Donor Livers and Expand the Donor Pool

Background. Prior to 2014, treatment for hepatitis C was limited. However, the subsequent introduction of direct acting antiviral medications (DAA) against hepatitis C led to improvements in morbidity and better medication tolerance. DAA therapy allowed for an increase in treatment rates of hepatitis C in patients on the liver transplant waiting list. With the popularization of DAA, there became a growing concern about the utility of hepatitis C-positive (HCV+) deceased liver donors, especially after treating HCV+ potential recipients on the transplant waiting list. Methods. This is a retrospective, observational study using Mid-America Transplant Services (MTS) database from 2008 to 2017. Comparison was made before the widespread use of DAAs 2008–2013 (pre-DAA) against their common practice use 2014–2017 (post-DAA). All deceased liver donors with HCV antibody or nucleic acid positive results were evaluated. Results. Between 2008 and 2017, 96 deceased liver donors were positive for HCV. In the pre-DAA era, 47 deceased liver donors were positive for HCV, of which 32 (68.1%) were transplanted and 15 (31.9%) were discarded. In the post-DAA era, a total of 49 HCV+ organs were identified, out of which 43 (87.8%) livers were transplanted and 6 (12.2%) were discarded. Discard rate was significantly higher in the pre-DAA population (31.9% vs. 12.2%, p = 0.026). Secondary analysis showed a distinct trend towards increased regional sharing and utilization of HCV+ donors. Conclusion. In order to reduce discard rates of HCV+ patients, our data suggest that transplant centers could potentially delay HCV treatment in patients on the transplant waitlist.

Anxiety and depression on the liver transplant waiting list: a case for psychological prehabilitation?

Introduction: Anxiety and depression in patients awaiting liver transplantation are associated with worse clinical outcomes. However, optimising patient mental health is not routinely addressed in pre-transplant care. Aims: To understand the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients awaiting transplantation and their access to pharmacological and psychological therapies. Methods: Patients awaiting transplantation were offered screening for anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Screening (HADS) tool. Data pertaining to patient demographics and previous treatment for anxiety and depression were recorded and analysed. Findings: Over 50% of patients recorded abnormal scores for anxiety and depression. Of the 19 patients screened, 42% had received treatment for either disorder, and most found the intervention unhelpful due to lack of follow-up appointments and limited understanding of their underlying chronic liver disease. There was a significant association between female sex and screening positive for depression. Conclusion: Anxiety and depression are prevalent in patients awaiting liver transplantation. The integration of a psychologist into the transplantation multidisciplinary team may improve patient outcomes.

PREDICTING DEATH IN PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE LIVER DISEASE: A NEW MODEL FOR ASSESSING DISEASE SEVERITY

Objective. To define possibilities of clinical application of the new original method for estimating failure (death) probability in patients on a liver transplant waiting list.Material and methods. The study included 350 patients who had been on a liver transplant waiting list for 5 years. Using the comparison of Mann-Whitney test results and evaluation of sensitivity and specificity (ROC curves) it was established that values of age, MELD-Na score, leukocyte level, nature of liver failure and presence of portal vein thrombosis had statistically significant differences between the dead and survived patients (p<0.05). By means of binary logistic regression, the model assessing the risk of death taking into consideration indicators mentioned above has been obtained. The new index of death probability of a patient on a liver transplant waiting list within one year has been created.Results. Quality evaluation of the created model and the index derived from it showed that the new index had a stronger ability to estimate somatic status severity in a patient with cirrhosis and allowed to make more precise prognosis of adverse outcome risk for not less than 12 months as compared to the standard MELDNa score. The predicted risk of death coincided with actual mortality of patients in 83% of cases. The EPV criterion was 17.4 what exceeded the minimum admissible threshold of the criterion (10) for small samples and allowed to use the obtained index.Conclusion. The original method allows increasing the accuracy of assessment of failure (death) development in a patient with cirrhosis for one year at any time of its application in the non-invasive way, using the data of the examination standard. In addition, the method helps setting priority in liver transplantation.