Pediatric and adult renal transplants: a comparative study.

In order to compare the results of renal transplantation in pediatric and adult recipients, a retrospective analysis of first transplants done at a single institution over a 6-yr period was carried out. The study included 21 pediatric and 196 adult recipients of cadaveric grafts, and 18 pediatric and 156 adult recipients of living related grafts. Pediatric and adult recipient groups were shown to be similar to each other with respect to donor-recipient HLA antigen matching and to causes of graft failure and patient mortality. Actuarial graft and patient survival data for pediatric recipients was found to be better than for the corresponding adult recipient groups, although the differences were not statistically significant. When clinical results, technical problems, and psychosocial adaptation are considered critically, transplantation is clearly preferable to both hemodialysis and to no treatment for pediatric patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). There is a considerable discrepancy between the estimated incidence of ESRD in children and the number of children being tranplanted for this disease. Many patients are, therefore, receiving less than optimum treatment. Efforts to correct this discrepancy are in order.

Results of renal transplantation using pediatric cadaver donors.

In order to determine the results of transplantation using pediatric cadaver donors, a retrospective analysis of a series of 502 renal transplant recipients was carried out. Methods of procurement, preservation, recipient selection, and immunosuppressive regimen were similar for all patients. Sixty-five recipients were approximately equally divided into three groups whose donors were younger than 5 years of age, 6 to 10 years old, and 11 to 15 years. These three groups then were compared with each other and to a randomly selected representative group of recipients whose donors were adults (16 years or older) for the following parameters: actuarial graft and patient survival, causes of graft failure and patient death, level of serum creatinine in currently functioning grafts, and recipient age. There were no statistically significant differences between groups for any parameter except that the mean age of recipients was approximately 16 years for the donors up to 5 years of age and was between 31 and 36 years for the other donor age groups (P = 0.01). These results support the contention that brain-dead pediatric patients of any age should be considered to be potential cadaveric kidney donors. Exclusion of these patients is very wasteful and also is unnecessary since results of transplantation equal to those obtained with adult donors can be expected. Technical graft failures should not be more frequent than with adult kidneys, and there is no need to modify the basic surgical technique for small kidneys in order to achieve this.

pH homeostasis during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in critically ill patients.

We investigated the effect of repeated administration of sodium bicarbonate on acid-base balance and serum chemistry in a group of patients who developed cardiac arrest. A mixed acidosis persisted throughout the duration of resuscitation in the majority of patients in spite of the large ventilatory volume and multiple doses of bicarbonate they received. However, the repeated administration of bicarbonate prevented a severe fall in serum pH. Our study demonstrated the beneficial role of bicarbonate in the treatment of metabolic acidosis associated with cardiac arrest of prolonged duration. Analysis of our data strongly indicated that the primary factors which determine the serum pH during cardiopulmonary resuscitation are the duration of circulatory arrest, adequacy of ventilation and circulation, pH immediately before arrest, and quantity of bicarbonate administered and its volume of distribution in the various fluid and tissue compartments.

Relationship of renal transplantation to hypertension in end-stage renal failure.

The relationship of renal transplantation to new onset or persistence of previously established hypertension was analyzed in 164 transplant recipients in whom the renal allograft functioned for six months or longer. Of the 164, thirty-seven (23%) had normal blood pressure and 127 (77%) were hypertensive prior to transplantation. Following transplantation 83 patients (51%) were normotensive; high blood pressure was found in 81 (49%). Posttransplant hypertension could not be correlated with the recipient's original renal disease, age, sex, renal donor source, donor age, or maintenance dose of prednisone. More normotensive paients had undergone prior binephrectomy when compared with the hypertensive group (P less than .05). Mean serum creatinine levels was higher (2.0 mg/dl) in hypertensives than in normotensives (1.54 mg/dl) (P greater than .05). Selective renal veins' renin measurements in patients with severe hypertension were not helpful in predicting the beneficial effects of either bilateral nephrectomy or surgical correction of transplant renal artery stenosis.

Liver and immune responses. IV. Characteristics of the liver cell-lymphocyte interaction.

Rat liver cells prepared by collagenase treatment and separated by density gradient centrifugation with Ficoll-Hypaque solution (specific gravity 1.120), containing only hepatocytes (80%) and Kupffer cells (20%), were found to stimulate strongly Ag-B-incompatible lumphocytes without 2-mercaptoethanol in culture. The same liver cells could also stimulate Ag-B-compatible lymphocytes in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. A positive response was only seen when the liver cell numbers were 1 approximately 2% of the responding lymphocytes. Viable liver cells inhibited the reaction in a two-way culture.

Successful renal transplantation in infancy.

This infant's post renal transplantation course, representing apparently the smallest long term survivor, illustrates that neither age nor size are contraindications to successful renal transplantation in infants with end stage renal failure. Additional experience with the transplantation of a single kidney into a 1-yr-old baby weighing 4650 gm with congenital bilateral renal hypoplasia has also been successful with a 3-mo follow-up. Both cases demonstrate that single or double renal transplantation in infants is feasible and should be considered when indicated.

On the origin of the regeneration factor.

The data presented indicate a complexity of the process through which the hepatocyte replication is controled after partial hepatectomy. It can be said that several factors may be working together, including hepatic inhibitor, splenic inhibitor, intestine associated stimulator and pancreatic factor.

The impact of 1,000 renal transplants at one center.

A large, comprehensive renal transplant program has a major impact not only on patient care, but also on the medical center itself and the larger community. The program at this center has advanced from 15 transplants in 1964 to 141 transplants in 1976. Fifty-nine per cent of patients transplanted have functioning kidneys at this time, including 76 children. Rehabilitation was equal to prerenal disease level in 91% of 169 recipients who lived five years with a functioning graft. Basic research in such diverse areas as renal preservation and immunology, as well as clinical research in optimum immunosuppressive therapy, resulted in significant contributions. Refinement of the mixed lymphocyte culture improved living-related graft survival at two years: 100% for HLA-identical and 91% for non-HLA-identical grafts, compared to 66% reported by the Transplant Registry for the combined group. Modification of immunosuppression improved patient survival at two years: 100% and 86% for recipients of living-related and cadaver grafts, respectively, compared to 83% and 65% reported by the Transplant Registry. The complexity of care of the patient with end-stage renal failure has required active interaction between transplant surgeons and almost every major specialty. The vast clinical material has been a great asset for training transplant surgeons, nephrologists, fellows and residents of multiple specialties, and medical students. The medical center's relationship with communities within a 250 mile radius has been strengthened, as reflected in patient referrals and the development of a multi-community-supported organ procurement system, which has allowed us to perform over 100 cadaver transplants per year for the past three years. Thus the performance of 1,000 renal transplants at this center has resulted not only in rehabilitation of many renal failure patients, but also in expanded and improved research and teaching capabilities, bringing support from multiple medical disciplines and the general community.

En bloc transplantation of the liver, pancreas, duodenum, spleen, and kidney in the rat.

Five organs consisting of the liver, pancreas, duodenum, spleen, and kidney from (Lewis X Brown Norway)F1 rats were transplanted simultaneously as an en bloc graft to Lewis recipients. No immunosuppression was given postoperatively. Serial laporatomies were performed for macroscopic examination and biopsies of the grafts. Macroscopically, the first evidence of rejection was splenic enlargement followed by fatty metamorphotic change of the liver, dilation and loss of peristalsis of the duodenum, and injection of the pancreas. The kidney maintained normal color and consistency until late in the rejection process. Histological examination suggested that the liver and the spleen may be more vulnerable to immune attack, since in these organs cellular infiltration started earlier and was more extensive in comparison to other organs. While the pancreas exhibited a typical, although somewhat delayed rejection pattern, the kidney seemed to maintain a well preserved structure. Interestingly, the duodenum showed no significant cellular infiltration throughout the postoperative period of examination despite severe mucosal destruction.

The prevention and correction of hypocalcemia in the parathyroidectomized rat by portacaval shunt.

Adult rats underwent end-to-side portacaval shunt either 30 days prior to or 12 days following parathyroidectomy. When portacaval shunt was performed initially, the serum calcium failed to decrease following subsequent parathyroidectomy and remained within normal levels up to 110 days. When parathyroidectomy first was done, the significant hypocalcemia was corrected subsequently by portacaval shunt and serum calcium remained close to the normal level up to 75 days. The effect of portacaval shunt depended on the calcium content of the food and was obtained only when rats were fed by a regular diet. Rats on a calcium-deficient diet were hypocalcemic, similar to the parathyroidectomized rats without the portacaval shunt. Prolonged calcium-deficient diet alone, without parathyroidectomy, did not by itself result in hypocalcemia either in the intact rat or in the portacaval shunted rat. The data indicate that portacaval shunt prevents and corrects hypocalcemia in the parathyroidectomized Lewis rat as long as sufficient calcium is available in the diet.