Despite the overall success of heart transplantation as a definitive treatment for endstage heart failure, cardiac allograft rejection remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality. ...Endomyocardial biopsy has been the standard of care for rejection monitoring, but is associated with several diagnostic limitations and serious procedural complications. The use of molecular diagnostics has emerged over the past decade as a tool to potentially circumvent some of these limitations. We present an update on novel molecular approaches to detecting transplant rejection, focusing on 4 categories: microarray technology, gene expression profiling, cell-free DNA and microRNA.
The development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy remains the Achilles heel of cardiac transplantation. Unfortunately, the definitions of cardiac allograft vasculopathy are diverse, and there are no ...uniform international standards for the nomenclature of this entity. This consensus document, commissioned by the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation Board, is based on best evidence and clinical consensus derived from critical analysis of available information pertaining to angiography, intravascular ultrasound imaging, microvascular function, cardiac allograft histology, circulating immune markers, non-invasive imaging tests, and gene-based and protein-based biomarkers. This document represents a working formulation for an international nomenclature of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, similar to the development of the system for adjudication of cardiac allograft rejection by histology.
Cardiac allograft vasculopathy remains a major limiting factor in the long-term survival of the heart transplant recipient. Our understanding of its pathogenesis is continuously evolving as advances ...in imaging modalities have allowed a direct window into the natural history of the disease. Innovation in diagnostic modalities has spurred the proliferation of prognostic tools and biomarkers. And in parallel, pharmacological advances have emerged that have helped ameliorate the disease's progressive course.
Liver transplant (LT) candidates today are older, have greater medical severity of illness, and have more cardiovascular comorbidities than ever before. In addition, there are specific cardiovascular ...responses in cirrhosis that can be detrimental to the LT candidate. Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, a condition characterized by increased cardiac output and a reduced ventricular response to stress, is present in up to 30% of patients with cirrhosis, thus challenging perioperative management. Current noninvasive tests that assess for subclinical coronary and myocardial disease have low sensitivity, and altered hemodynamics during the LT surgery can unmask latent cardiovascular disease either intraoperatively or in the immediate postoperative period. Therefore, this review, assembled by a group of multidisciplinary experts in the field and endorsed by the American Society of Transplantation Liver and Intestine and Thoracic and Critical Care Communities of Practice, provides a critical assessment of the diagnosis of cardiac and pulmonary vascular disease and interventions aimed at managing these conditions in LT candidates. Key points and practice‐based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of cardiac and pulmonary vascular disease in this population are provided to offer guidance for clinicians and identify gaps in knowledge for future investigations.
In this white paper, the American Society of Transplantation Liver and Intestinal and Thoracic and Critical Care Communities of Practice summarize current evidence and make consensus recommendations for cardiac and pulmonary vascular disease risk assessment for potential liver transplant recipients.
Imaging in Heart Transplant Patients Olymbios, Michael; Kwiecinski, Jacek; Berman, Daniel S. ...
JACC. Cardiovascular imaging,
October 2018, 2018-Oct, 2018-10-00, 20181001, Letnik:
11, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Heart transplantation is an accepted treatment for select patients with end-stage heart failure. Improvements to immunosuppressive therapies and patient management have increased the half-life of ...heart transplant patients to over 10 years. Despite this success, rejection remains the “Achilles heel” of heart transplantation. The early detection of acute rejection and cardiac allograft vasculopathy are paramount to avoiding graft loss. Unlike in kidney and liver transplantation, there are no clinically validated biomarkers for detecting heart transplant rejection. Existing methods for monitoring the cardiac allograft are invasive. The endomyocardial biopsy is the standard-of-care for monitoring for acute rejection but carries risks of complications, and histologic assessment is often subjective. Equally, intracoronary angiography remains the standard-of-care for detecting cardiac allograft vasculopathy, but it is invasive and less than ideally sensitive. Newer echocardiographic techniques, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and positron emission tomography are less invasive than conventional biopsy and show promise in excluding rejection thereby potentially decreasing the frequency of biopsies in low-risk patients. Intravascular ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography, although still invasive, improve on the assessment of the coronary tree through increased resolution, evaluation of the microvasculature, and visualization of the vessel wall. This review outlines the invasive and noninvasive imaging modalities that are employed in the routine care of heart transplant patients and examines newer techniques that are under evaluation.
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Although primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is fairly common early after cardiac transplant, standardized schemes for diagnosis and treatment remain contentious. Most major cardiac transplant centers ...use different definitions and parameters of cardiac function. Thus, there is difficulty comparing published reports and no agreed protocol for management. A consensus conference was organized to better define, diagnose, and manage PGD. There were 71 participants (transplant cardiologists, surgeons, immunologists and pathologists), with vast clinical and published experience in PGD, representing 42 heart transplant centers worldwide. State-of-the-art PGD presentations occurred with subsequent breakout sessions planned in an attempt to reach consensus on various issues. Graft dysfunction will be classified into primary graft dysfunction (PGD) or secondary graft dysfunction where there is a discernible cause such as hyperacute rejection, pulmonary hypertension, or surgical complications. PGD must be diagnosed within 24 hours of completion of surgery. PGD is divided into PGD-left ventricle and PGD-right ventricle. PGD-left ventricle is categorized into mild, moderate, or severe grades depending on the level of cardiac function and the extent of inotrope and mechanical support required. Agreed risk factors for PGD include donor, recipient, and surgical procedural factors. Recommended management involves minimization of risk factors, gradual increase of inotropes, and use of mechanical circulatory support as needed. Retransplantation may be indicated if risk factors are minimal. With a standardized definition of PGD, there will be more consistent recognition of this phenomenon and treatment modalities will be more comparable. This should lead to better understanding of PGD and prevention/minimization of its adverse outcomes.
Cardiac transplantation is the gold standard for treatment for select patients with end-stage heart failure, yet donor supply is limited.
machine perfusion is an emerging technology capable of safely ...preserving organs and expanding the viable donor pool. The TransMedics
Organ Care System™ is an investigational device which mimics physiologic conditions while maintaining the heart in a warm, beating state rather than cold storage. The use of Organ Care System allows increased opportunities for using organs from marginal donors, distant procurement sites, donation after cardiac death, and in recipients with complex anatomy. In the future, bioengineering technologies including use of mesenchymal stem cells, viral vector delivery of gene therapy, and alternate devices may further broaden the field of
machine perfusion.
Despite advances in pharmacologic and device treatment of chronic heart failure, long-term morbidity and mortality remain high, and many patients progress to end-stage heart failure. Over the last 5 ...decades, heart transplantation (HTx) has become the preferred therapy for select patients with end-stage heart disease. However, although HTx has become standard of care for the management of end-stage heart failure, challenges continue to exist. The number of patients with end-stage heart failure is increasing, whereas the number of donor organs remains constant and a limiting factor in HTx. Not only are there more potential heart transplantation candidates, but HTx candidates today are more complex: older, sensitized, and in need of mechanical circulatory support. Such candidates are at higher risk for poor outcomes including primary graft dysfunction and antibody-mediated rejection. This article focuses on current post-transplantation outcomes and recent advances in HTx that could address the current challenges. These advances include: 1) attempts to expand the donor pool; 2) proposed changes in HTx allocation policy for more equitable organ distribution; 3) a better understanding of the definition and management of primary graft dysfunction; and 4) advances in the management of sensitized HTx candidates. Developments in these areas could result in expansion and more equitable distribution of the donor pool and improved survival and quality of life for HTx recipients.
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