Long-Term Outcomes of Adult Lung Transplantation Recipients: A Single-Center Experience in South Korea / 결핵

BACKGROUND: Recently, the number of lung transplants in South Korea has increased. However, the long-term outcome data is limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of adult lung transplantation recipients. METHODS: Among the patients that underwent lung transplantation at a tertiary referral center in South Korea between 2008 and 2017, adults patient who underwent deceased-donor lung transplantation with available follow-up data were enrolled. Their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Through eligibility screening, we identified 60 adult patients that underwent lung (n=51) or heart-lung transplantation (n=9) during the observation period. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (46.7%, 28/60) was the most frequent cause of lung transplantation. For all the 60 patients, the median follow-up duration for post-transplantation was 2.6 years (range, 0.01–7.6). During the post-transplantation follow-up period, 19 patients (31.7%) died at a median duration of 194 days. The survival rates were 75.5%, 67.6%, and 61.8% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. Out of the 60 patients, 8 (13.3%) were diagnosed with chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), after a mean duration of 3.3±2.8 years post-transplantation. The CLAD development rate was 0%, 17.7%, and 25.8% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. The most common newly developed post-transplantation comorbidity was the chronic kidney disease (CKD; 54.0%), followed by diabetes mellitus (25.9%). CONCLUSION: Among the adult lung transplantation recipients at a South Korea tertiary referral center, the long-term survival rates were favorable. The proportion of patients who developed CLAD was not substantial. CKD was the most common post-transplantation comorbidity.

Long-Term Outcomes of Adult Lung Transplantation Recipients: A Single-Center Experience in South Korea / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND@#Recently, the number of lung transplants in South Korea has increased. However, the long-term outcome data is limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of adult lung transplantation recipients.@*METHODS@#Among the patients that underwent lung transplantation at a tertiary referral center in South Korea between 2008 and 2017, adults patient who underwent deceased-donor lung transplantation with available follow-up data were enrolled. Their medical records were retrospectively reviewed.@*RESULTS@#Through eligibility screening, we identified 60 adult patients that underwent lung (n=51) or heart-lung transplantation (n=9) during the observation period. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (46.7%, 28/60) was the most frequent cause of lung transplantation. For all the 60 patients, the median follow-up duration for post-transplantation was 2.6 years (range, 0.01–7.6). During the post-transplantation follow-up period, 19 patients (31.7%) died at a median duration of 194 days. The survival rates were 75.5%, 67.6%, and 61.8% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. Out of the 60 patients, 8 (13.3%) were diagnosed with chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), after a mean duration of 3.3±2.8 years post-transplantation. The CLAD development rate was 0%, 17.7%, and 25.8% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. The most common newly developed post-transplantation comorbidity was the chronic kidney disease (CKD; 54.0%), followed by diabetes mellitus (25.9%).@*CONCLUSION@#Among the adult lung transplantation recipients at a South Korea tertiary referral center, the long-term survival rates were favorable. The proportion of patients who developed CLAD was not substantial. CKD was the most common post-transplantation comorbidity.

The First Living-Donor Lobar Lung Transplantation in Korea: a Case Report

Lung transplantation is the only treatment for end-stage lung disease, but the problem of donor shortage is unresolved issue. Herein, we report the first case of living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) in Korea. A 19-year-old woman patient with idiopathic pulmonary artery hypertension received her father's right lower lobe and her mother's left lower lobe after pneumonectomy of both lungs in 2017. The patient has recovered well and is enjoying normal social activity. We think that LDLLT could be an alternative approach to deceased donor lung transplantation to overcome the shortage of lung donors.

The Clinical Course and Outcomes of Post-Transplantation Diabetes Mellitus after Heart Transplantation

The aim of this study was to describe in more detail the predisposition, natural course, and clinical impact of post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) after heart transplantation (HT). The characteristics and clinical outcomes of 54 patients with PTDM were compared with those of 140 patients without PTDM. The mean age of PTDM patients was significantly higher than controls (48.9 +/- 9.3 vs 38.6 +/- 13.3 yr, respectively, P = 0.001), and ischemic heart disease was a more common indication of HT (20.4% [11/54] vs 7.1% [10/140], respectively, P = 0.008). In multivariate analysis, only recipient age (odds ratio, 1.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-2.40; P = 0.001) was associated with PTDM development. In 18 patients (33%), PTDM was reversed during the follow-up period, and the reversal of PTDM was critically dependent on the time taken to develop PTDM (1.9 +/- 1.0 months in the reversed group vs 14.5 +/- 25.3 months in the maintained group, P = 0.005). The 5-yr incidence of late infection (after 6 months) was higher in the PTDM group than in the control group (30.4% +/- 7.1% vs 15.4% +/- 3.3%, respectively, P = 0.031). However, the 5-yr overall survival rate was not different (92.9% +/- 4.1% vs 85.8% +/- 3.2%, respectively, P = 0.220). In conclusion, PTDM after HT is reversible in one-third of patients and is not a critical factor in patient survival after HT.

Psychosocial Adjustment of the Organ Transplantation Recipients in Korea / 대한이식학회지

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to understand the experience and adjustment process of organ transplantation recipients in Korea, using grounded theory method. METHODS: Eight patients after liver transplantation and two patients after heart transplantation were selected for this study, for whom minimum follow-up duration was at least 6 months after transplantation. Data was collected from July to November 2005 through in-depth individual interviews either at home or hospital. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative method in which new data was continuously coded into categories and properties. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed that "safekeeping the graft" was the core category in experience of organ transplantation recipients. In order to safekeep transplanted organ, recipients used seven different strategies to deal with various problems and conflicts which occurred during the recovery process: 1) altering the role function of family, 2) complying the treatment regimen, 3) developing the know-how for self-care, 4) returning to the normal life, 5) keeping the positive thinking, 6) concerning for the donor, and 7) improving the self-fulfillment. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provided deep understanding on the recovery process after organ transplantation and these would help establishing more appropriate intervention to improve quality of life for organ transplantation recipients.

The Efficacy and Safety of an Immunosuppressive Regimen Including the Use of Mycophenolate Mofetil and an Interleukin-2 Monoclonal Antibody in Heart Transplant Patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: An immunosuppressive regimen including the use of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and an interleukin-2 monoclonal antibody (IL2mAb) has shown promise to prevent acute rejection after heart transplantation. There has been a lack of report on the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this regimen in patients receiving heart transplants in Korea. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From November 1992 to December 2003, 111 consecutive patients who had received heart transplants in our institute were classified into two groups: patients who received the immunosuppressive regimen with MMF and an IL2mAb (group A, n=51) and patients who did not receive the regimen (group B, n=60). We compared the clinical outcomes of patients in each group including the survival rate and the occurrence of acute rejection and infection at 24 months post transplantation. RESULTS: Both drugs were tolearated in all patients except in 5 patients who complained of gastrointestinal side effects due to MMF. Despite a longer ischemic time (137.4+/-54.6 vs. 92.3+/-25.8 hours, p<0.05) and a lower serum level of cyclosporine (212.3+/-66.8 vs. 259.1+/-62.1 ng/mL, p<0.05), the rate of treatment for acute rejection was lower in group A than in group B (16% vs. 53%, p<0.05). In addition, the median time to the first treatment for acute rejection was almost twice as long for group A as for group B (91 vs. 43 days, p<0.05). The 2-year survival rate and the incidence of major infection requiring hospitalization in both groups were 94% vs. 88% and 26% vs. 21%, respectively, which were not statistically different. CONCLUSION: An immunosuppressive regimen including the use of MMF and an IL2mAb is efficacious and safe as a prophylaxis against acute rejection without the increased risk of major infection in patients who have received heart transplants in Korea.

Differentiation and Labeling of Mouse Preadipocytes for Allogenic Transplantation Study

Due to its safety and softness, autologous fat transplantation has been commonly performed for soft tissue correction. However, the injected fat is absorbed resulting in the reduction of volume of the graft by 40- 60% within a few months. Thus, there was an attempt to use adipocytes differentiated from preadipocytes in vitro for transplantation. Differentiated adipocytes were biocompatible and matured with gradual volume increase at transplantation site in clinical study(unpublished data). In addition, they did not induce immune rejection in response to nonself lymphocytes in a mixed lymphocyte reaction(MLR)(unpublished data). The purpose of this study is to differentiate mouse preadipocytes following labeling into adipocytes to establish an animal model for allogenic transplantation. Preadipocytes isolated from inguinal and retroperitoneal fat pad of C57BL/6 mice were proliferated with growth medium by passage 3 and differentiated into adipocytes with different culture conditions after labeled with BrdU. At most suitable conditions, above 90% of preadipocytes were differentiated and BrdU labeling did not affect differentiation rate and function of differentiated adipocytes. These results demonstrate that BrdU-labeled adipocytes resulting from this in vitro differentiation protocol are useful for allogenic transplantation study.

A Study on the Effect of Degree of Freedom of Ankle Motion on Gait of Transfemoral Amputees with SNS Control Prosthesis / 대한정형외과연구학회지

Using three different types of the ankle joint, i.e., the fixed, single-axis, and multi axis type, the gait characteristics of transfemoral amputees were investigated to understand the biomechanics of ankle joint motion during gait of transfemoral amputees with a SNS (swing and stance phase) control prosthesis controlling the flexion-extension of knee in the stance phase unlike conventional swing control prostheses. The socket pressure was measured to explain the resulting gait characteristic of the transfemoral amputees for different ankle joint components. Based on the results from the gait characteristics, socket pressure, knee flexion-extension behavior, and ground reaction vector, the fixed type ankle joint could be considered as the most appropriate ankle joint for the transfemoral amputees using the SNS control prosthesis.

A Study on the Effect of Degree of Freedom of Ankle Motion on Gait of Transfemoral Amputees with SNS Control Prosthesis / 대한정형외과연구학회지

Using three different types of the ankle joint, i.e., the fixed, single-axis, and multi axis type, the gait characteristics of transfemoral amputees were investigated to understand the biomechanics of ankle joint motion during gait of transfemoral amputees with a SNS (swing and stance phase) control prosthesis controlling the flexion-extension of knee in the stance phase unlike conventional swing control prostheses. The socket pressure was measured to explain the resulting gait characteristic of the transfemoral amputees for different ankle joint components. Based on the results from the gait characteristics, socket pressure, knee flexion-extension behavior, and ground reaction vector, the fixed type ankle joint could be considered as the most appropriate ankle joint for the transfemoral amputees using the SNS control prosthesis.