Lorraine Racusen and Kim Solez Awarded the Gold Medal of the Catalan Transplant Society

In March 2017, a joint meeting between The Catalan Society of Transplantation and the Banff Foundation was held at the University of Barcelona. This was an opportunity for the Catalan Society of Transplantation to recognize the crucial contributions to transplant pathology made by Lorraine Racusen and Kim Solez, who created and actively contributed to the development of the International Banff Classification System. The ceremony of the Gold Medal took place on March 31 at the University of Barcelona; it consisted of a presentation of the contributions of Lorraine Racusen and Kim Solez to the development of transplant pathology. In this article, the presentation of these awardees with the Gold Medal of the Catalan Society of Transplantation is summarized.     

“Non-Touch” Vena Cava Technique as an Improvement in Combined Lung and Liver Procurement in Controlled Donation After Circulatory Death

The number of organs retrieved from donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors has continued to rise in recent years. The functional superiority of DCD organs is achieved when the lungs are perfused with cold perfusion and livers with normothermic regional perfusion (NRP). Thus, a precise surgical technique is required to combine thoracic and abdominal organ procurement.The technique used at our center consists of a rapid laparotomy and middle sternotomy, then the abdominal aorta (Ao) and abdominal inferior vena cava (VC) are cannulated and the descending thoracic Ao is cross-clamped. NRP is started at that point. As a variation of previously described techniques, the thoracic vena cava is not initially clamped in order to improve the return of blood volume to the NRP circuit. The pulmonary artery is cannulated to flush the lungs and the left atrial appendage is opened for drainage. After 120 minutes, NRP perfusion is stopped and the organs are flushed with cold preservation solution.In 2016, 3 livers and 6 lungs were harvested at our center using the technique described. After a minimum follow-up of 1 year, no evidence of biliary complications was observed.The combined procurement of lungs after room temperature perfusion and liver after NRP without initial clamping of the thoracic VC is feasible, with excellent function post-transplantation.     

Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Cancer After Lung Transplantation

Cancer is the third most common cause of death among lung transplant (LT) recipients who survive for more than 1 year. The purpose of this study was to analyze the incidence and risk factors for cancer after LT in a Spanish cohort. The epidemiology and risk factors for cancer were retrospectively analyzed in LT recipients from 2 cities in Spain, Madrid and Barcelona. Of the 1353 LT patients initially included in the study, 125 (9.2%) developed cancer after a mean of 3.7 years. This frequency was 5-fold higher than in the general population. The most prevalent tumors were skin cancer (32%), lymphoproliferative disease (18%), and lung cancer (16.5%). In 4 patients, lung cancer was diagnosed on the day of the operation. The risk of cancer increased with age >55 year (hazard ratio [HR] 2.89 [1.64–5.09]; P < .001), in men (HR 2.8 [1.4–5.6]; P = .004), and in heavy smokers (>20 pack-years) (HR 2.94 [1.64–5.27]; P < .001). Other factors such as sun exposure were not found to be risk factors. In conclusion, prevalence of cancer is high in LT recipients in a Mediterranean country. Skin tumors, lymphoproliferative disease, and lung cancer are the most prevalent cancers. Age, male sex, and smoking were the main risk factors for cancer in this population.     

How to choose an anesthesia ventilator?

During the past few years, many manufacturers have developed a new generation anesthesia ventilators or anesthesia workstations with innovative technology and introduced so-called new ventilatory modes in the operating room. The aim of this article is to briefly explain how an anesthesia ventilator works, to describe the main differences between the technologies used, to describe the main criteria for evaluating technical and pneumatic performances and to list key elements not to be forgotten during the process of acquiring an anesthesia ventilator.