BACKGROUND: Critical patients with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even those whose nucleic acid test results had turned negative and those receiving maximal medical support, have been noted to progress to irreversible fatal respiratory failure. Lung transplantation (LT) as the sole therapy for end-stage pulmonary fibrosis related to acute respiratory distress syndrome has been considered as the ultimate rescue therapy for these patients. METHODS: From February 10 to March 10, 2020, three male patients were urgently assessed and listed for transplantation. After conducting a full ethical review and after obtaining assent from the family of the patients, we performed three LT procedures for COVID-19 patients with illness durations of more than one month and extremely high sequential organ failure assessment scores. RESULTS: Two of the three recipients survived post-LT and started participating in a rehabilitation program. Pearls of the LT team collaboration and perioperative logistics were summarized and continually improved. The pathological results of the explanted lungs were concordant with the critical clinical manifestation, and provided insight towards better understanding of the disease. Government health affair systems, virology detection tools, and modern communication technology all play key roles towards the survival of the patients and their rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS LT can be performed in end-stage patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19-related pulmonary fibrosis. If confirmed positive-turned-negative virology status without organ dysfunction that could contraindicate LT, LT provided the final option for these patients to avoid certain death, with proper protection of transplant surgeons and medical staffs. By ensuring instant seamless care for both patients and medical teams, the goal of reducing the mortality rate and salvaging the lives of patients with COVID-19 can be attained.
Aged ; Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; mortality ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Humans ; Lung Transplantation ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; mortality ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; mortality ; surgery ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; mortality ; surgery

BACKGROUND: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients need parenteral nutrition because of nausea, vomiting, and mucositis caused by conditioning regimens. The demand for glutamine increases during the HSCT period. We evaluated the effects of glutamine-containing parenteral nutrition on the clinical outcomes of HSCT patients. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, we reviewed HSCT patients from Seoul National University from August 2013 to July 2017. Depending on their glutamine supplementation status, 91 patients were divided into 2 groups: glutamine group (N=44) and non-glutamine group (N=47). We analyzed the rate of weight change, infection (clinically/microbiologically documented), complications (duration of mucositis and neutropenia, acute graft versus host disease), and 100-days mortality in each group. RESULTS: Regarding the clinical characteristics of the patients, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups except that there was a larger proportion of myeloablative conditioning regimen in the glutamine group (P=0.005). In the glutamine group, the average number of days of glutamine use, parenteral nutrition, and mucositis was 7.6±1.4, 14.6±9.9, and 13.3±9.5, respectively. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed odds ratios of 0.37 (95% CI, 0.14–0.96; P=0.042) and 0.08 (95% CI, 0.01–0.98; P=0.048) for clinically documented infection and 100-days mortality, respectively, in the glutamine group. CONCLUSION: Results showed that the glutamine group had less clinically documented infection and 100-days mortality than the non-glutamine group, but the other outcomes did not show significant differences. The extended duration of glutamine supplementation according to the period of total parenteral nutrition and mucositis should be considered.
Adult ; Glutamine ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Mortality ; Mucositis ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nausea ; Neutropenia ; Odds Ratio ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Transplants ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplant is always emergent operations and frequently need to be performed at nighttime to reduce cold ischemia time (CIT). Previous studies have revealed that fatigue and sleep deprivation can result in adverse consequences of medical procedures. This study aimed to evaluate whether nighttime operation has adverse impact on kidney transplant. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of recipients accepted kidney transplant from deceased donors in one center from 2014 to 2016 was performed. Daytime transplant was defined as operation started after 8 AM or ended before 8 PM and nighttime operation was defined as operation ended after 8 PM or started before 8 AM. The incidences of complications such as delayed graft function, acute rejection, surgical complications and nosocomial infections were compared between 2 groups. Student's t-test was used to analyze continuous variables such as serum creatinine (Scr) at 1-year of post-transplant. The Chi-square test was used to analyze categorical variables. Differences in recipients and graft survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methodology and log-rank tests. RESULTS: Among the 443 recipients, 233 (52.6%) were classified into the daytime group and the others 210 (47.4%) were in the nighttime group. The 1-year survival rate of recipients was similar for the recipients in the daytime and nighttime groups (95.3% vs. 95.2%, P = 0.981). Although the 1-year graft survival rate in the nighttime group was slightly superior to that in the daytime group, the difference was not significant (92.4% vs. 88.4%, P = 0.164). Furthermore, Scr and incidence of complications were also not significantly different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggested that operation time of kidney transplant with short CIT has no significant impact on the outcome of kidney transplant. Nighttime operation of kidney transplant with short CIT could be postponed to the following day to alleviate the burden on medical staffs and avoid the potential risk.
Adult ; Cadaver ; Cold Ischemia ; Female ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; adverse effects ; mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Time Factors

BACKGROUND: Non-Hodgkin T/NK cell lymphoma is a rare and widely variable type of lymphoma with the most dismal prognosis. This study aimed to investigate varied impact of the clinical indicators to the overall survival (OS). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study to identify the non-invasive clinical features of T cell lymphoma that can predict prognosis with an innovative analysis method using quantile regression. A total of 183 patients who visited a top-tier hospital in Beijing, China, were enrolled from January 2006 to December 2015. Demographic information and main clinical indicators were collected including age, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), survival status, and international prognostic index (IPI) score. RESULTS: The median age of the patients at diagnosis was 45 years. Approximately 80% of patients were at an advanced stage, and the median survival time after diagnosis was 5.1 months. Multivariable analysis of the prognostic factors for inferior OS associated with advanced clinical staging [HR=3.16, 95%CI (1.39-7.2)], lower platelet count [HR = 2.57, 95%CI (1.57-4.19), P < 0.001] and higher IPI score [HR = 1.29, 95%CI (1.01-1.66), P = 0.043]. Meanwhile, T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma [HR = 0.40, 95%CI (0.20-0.80), P = 0.010], higher white blood cell counts [HR = 0.57, 95%CI (0.34-0.96), P = 0.033], higher serum albumin level [HR = 0.6, 95%CI (0.37-0.97), P = 0.039], and higher ESR [HR = 0.53, 95%CI (0.33-0.87), P = 0.011] were protective factors for OS when stratified by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Multivariable quantile regression between the OS rate and each predictor at quartiles 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 0.95 showed that the coefficients of serum β2-microglobulin level and serum ESR were statistically significant in the middle of the coefficient curve (quartile 0.25-0.75). The coefficient of IPI was negatively associated with OS. The coefficients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and no clinical symptoms were higher at the middle of the quartile level curve but were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS The IPI score is a comparatively robust indicator of prognosis at 3 quartiles, and serum ESR is stable at the middle 2 quartiles section when adjusted for HLH. Quantile regression can be used to observe detailed impacts of the predictors on OS.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; mortality ; pathology ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; mortality ; pathology ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; mortality ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Regression Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation is an effective renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In this study, we assessed the impact of the baseline characteristics and comorbidities of ESRD patients on the probability of deceased donor kidney transplantation (DDKT) and evaluated the morbidity and mortality during the time spent waiting. METHODS: The study population consisted of 544 ESRD patients on the waiting list for DDKT at Chungnam National University Hospital in South Korea between February 2000 and October 2015. The patients were observed from the date of transplantation list registration to the date of transplantation. Baseline characteristics and comorbidities were investigated together with new-onset comorbidities that occurred during the waiting time. RESULTS: Diabetes mellitus (39.0%), hypertension (25.2%), and glomerulonephritis (21.3%) were the three most common causes of ESRD in this study, and coronary artery disease (9.4%) was the most common comorbidity. The 115 patients (19.3%) who underwent DDKT had a mean waiting time of 1,711 days (768–2,654 days or 4.68 years [2.10–7.27]). Blood groups other than type O, peritoneal dialysis, and nondiabetic ESRD were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of DDKT. Infection was the leading cause of death and the most common comorbidity that arose during the waiting time. Patients who experienced cardiovascular events during the waiting time showed a lower transplant rate compared with those who did not. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of comorbidities was high in renal transplantation candidates. During the often-long waiting time, new comorbidities may occur, with long-term sequelae limiting access to kidney transplantation or resulting in death.
Blood Group Antigens ; Cause of Death ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Comorbidity ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation ; Kidney ; Korea ; Mortality ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Prevalence ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Tissue Donors ; Waiting Lists

BACKGROUND: Mortality is higher in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) than in the general population, but little information is available on CKD-related mortality that is representative of the Korean population. Our objective was to investigate mortality risk in Korean patients with CKD. METHODS: We identified patients with incident CKD who had not undergone dialysis or kidney transplantation between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2007 in Korea using the database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, and stratified the population into the following three groups: group 1 (n = 1,473), controls; group 2 (n = 2,212), patients with diabetes or hypertension, but without CKD; and group 3 (n = 2,212), patients with CKD. We then monitored them for all-cause mortality until December 2013. RESULTS: A total of 1,473 patients were included in this analysis. During the follow-up period, 941 patients in group 3 died (134 deaths/1,000 person-years) compared with 550 deaths in the group 2 (34 deaths/1,000 person-years) and 459 deaths in group 1 (30 deaths/1,000 person-years). The rate ratio for mortality rate was 4.5, and the hazard ratio for mortality was 4.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.36–5.47, P < 0.001) in patients in group 3 compared with age- and sex-matched controls (group 1). The rate ratio for mortality rate was 4.0, and the hazard ratio for mortality was 4.36 (95% CI, 3.92–4.85, P < 0.001) in patients in group 3 compared with patients in group 2. CONCLUSION: In this nationally representative sample cohort, excess mortality was observed in Korean patients with incident CKD.
Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dialysis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Kidney Transplantation ; Korea ; Mortality ; National Health Programs ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

OBJECTIVE: Abnormal body composition is an important modifiable risk factor in lung transplantation. Therefore, precise quantification of different body components, including muscle and fat, may play an important role in optimizing outcomes in lung transplant patients. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prognostic significance of muscle and subcutaneous fat mass measured on chest CT with regard to lung transplantation survival and other post-transplant outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population included 45 consecutive adult lung transplant recipients (mean age of 47.9 ± 12.1 years; 31 males and 14 females) between 2011 and 2017. Preoperative cross-sectional areas of muscle and subcutaneous fat were semi-automatically measured on axial CT images at the level of the 12th thoracic vertebra (T12). Additional normalized indexed parameters, adjusted for either height or weight, were obtained. Associations of quantitative parameters with survival and various other post-transplant outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 45 patients included in the present study, 10 mortalities were observed during the follow-up period. Patients with relative sarcopenia (RS) classified based on height-adjusted muscle area with a cut-off value of 28.07 cm²/m² demonstrated worse postoperative survival (log-rank test, p = 0.007; hazard ratio [HR], 6.39:1) despite being adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index (HR, 8.58:1; p = 0.022). Weight-adjusted parameters of muscle area were negatively correlated with duration of ventilator support (R = −0.54, p < 0.001) and intensive care unit (ICU) stay (R = −0.33, p = 0.021). CONCLUSION: Patients with RS demonstrate worse survival after lung transplantation that those without RS. Additionally, quantitative parameters of muscles measured at the T12 level on chest CT were associated with the duration of post-lung transplant ventilator support and duration of stay in the ICU.
Adult ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Cohort Studies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Lung ; Lung Transplantation ; Male ; Mortality ; Muscles ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sarcopenia ; Spine ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Transplant Recipients ; Ventilators, Mechanical

BACKGROUND: Bendamustine is an attractive option for the management of both de novo and relapsed lymphomas. It is being increasingly used in the conditioning regimen for autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) and can be an alternative to the traditionally-used carmustine. In this study, we aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of bendamustine in the conditioning regimen for autologous SCT in refractory/relapsed lymphomas. METHODS: We designed a descriptive study to evaluate bendamustine in combination with etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan (BeEAM) in the conditioning regimen for autologous SCT. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (median age, 28 yr) with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) (N=8), non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) (N=5), or peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL NOS) (N=1) were included in the study. A median number of 5.95×10⁶ CD34+ cells/kg were transfused. Median times to absolute neutrophil count and platelet engraftment were 17 days and 24 days, respectively. The 100-day transplantation mortality rate was 28% (4 patients). Eight patients (57.14%) had GII-III acute kidney injury, four patients (28.5%) had GIII-IV hyperbilirubinemia, and twelve patients (85%) had GII-III diarrhea. After 3 months, 37% (5 patients) and 21.4% (3 patients) demonstrated complete response and partial response, respectively. The median follow-up was 5.5 months (15 days–19 mo). At the final follow-up, 7 patients (50%) were alive and in CR. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that bendamustine is a potentially toxic agent in the conditioning regimen for autologous SCT, resulting in significant liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal toxicity. Further studies are required to assess its safety and efficacy at reduced doses.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Bendamustine Hydrochloride ; Blood Platelets ; Carmustine ; Cytarabine ; Diarrhea ; Etoposide ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hodgkin Disease ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Melphalan ; Mortality ; Neutrophils ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells

Heart failure (HF) is an important cardiovascular disease because of its increasing prevalence, significant morbidity, high mortality, and rapidly expanding health care cost. The number of HF patients is increasing worldwide, and Korea is no exception. There have been marked advances in definition, diagnostic modalities, and treatment of HF over the past four decades. There is continuing effort to improve risk stratification of HF using biomarkers, imaging and genetic testing. Newly developed medications and devices for HF have been widely adopted in clinical practice. Furthermore, definitive treatment for end-stage heart failure including left ventricular assist device and heart transplantation are rapidly evolving as well. This review summarizes the current state-of-the-art management for HF and the emerging diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to improve the outcome of HF patients.
Biomarkers ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Genetic Testing ; Health Care Costs ; Heart Failure* ; Heart Transplantation ; Heart* ; Heart-Assist Devices ; Humans ; Korea ; Mortality ; Prevalence ; Prognosis

Adolescent ; Busulfan ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cyclophosphamide ; therapeutic use ; Cyclosporine ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Humans ; Infant ; Leukemia ; drug therapy ; mortality ; therapy ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; drug therapy ; mortality ; therapy ; Male ; Mycophenolic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; drug therapy ; mortality ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome