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Biomedical subjects

Robert A Metzger

Publications and source records attributed to Robert A Metzger.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Deceased-donor characteristics and the survival benefit of kidney transplantation.

CONTEXT: Transplantation using kidneys from deceased donors who meet the expanded criteria donor (ECD) definition (age > or =60 years or 50 to 59 years with at least 2 of the following: history of hypertension, serum creatinine level >1.5 mg/dL [132.6 micromol/L], and cerebrovascular cause of death) is associated with 70% higher risk of graft failure compared with non-ECD transplants. However, if ECD transplants offer improved overall patient survival, inferior graft outcome may represent an acceptable trade-off. OBJECTIVE: To compare mortality after ECD kidney transplantation vs that in a combined standard-therapy group of non-ECD recipients and those still receiving dialysis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Retrospective cohort study using data from a US national registry of mortality and graft outcomes among kidney transplant candidates and recipients. The cohort included 109,127 patients receiving dialysis and added to the kidney waiting list between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2002, and followed up through July 31, 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Long-term (3-year) relative risk of mortality for ECD kidney recipients vs those receiving standard therapy, estimated using time-dependent Cox regression models. RESULTS: By end of follow-up, 7790 ECD kidney transplants were performed. Because of excess ECD recipient mortality in the perioperative period, cumulative survival did not equal that of standard-therapy patients until 3.5 years posttransplantation. Long-term relative mortality risk was 17% lower for ECD recipients (relative risk, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.90; P<.001). Subgroups with significant ECD survival benefit included patients older than 40 years, both sexes, non-Hispanics, all races, unsensitized patients, and those with diabetes or hypertension. In organ procurement organizations (OPOs) with long median waiting times (>1350 days), ECD recipients had a 27% lower risk of death (relative risk, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-0.83; P<.001). In areas with shorter waiting times, only recipients with diabetes demonstrated an ECD survival benefit. CONCLUSIONS: ECD kidney transplants should be offered principally to candidates older than 40 years in OPOs with long waiting times. In OPOs with shorter waiting times, in which non-ECD kidney transplant availability is higher, candidates should be counseled that ECD survival benefit is observed only for patients with diabetes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Research to practice: a national consensus conference.

PURPOSE: To gain consensus on aspects of the process of gaining consent for organ donation that should be mainstream daily practice. METHODS: A 3-day consensus conference of transplant professionals that provided a forum for research and innovative ideas about gaining consent for organ donation. Four work groups were assembled to address issues of gaining consent from organ and tissue donors: (1) demystifying first-person consent (donor authorization): is it a matter of law?, (2) recovery coordinators: getting from green to great, (3) maximizing the process: old views and new, and (4) donor family support: mother or smother? RESULTS: Participants reached a consensus about major consent-related practices, identified areas of practice variance, and defined topics in need of further research. CONCLUSIONS: The conference participants agreed that (1) the primary role of the organ procurement organization is to recover organs for transplantation from deceased donors and to facilitate distribution of those organs to the appropriate recipients; (2) early referral of potential donors from the hospital to the organ procurement organization is desirable; (3) a score less than 5 on the Glasgow Coma Scale should initiate end-of-life discussions with family members; a procurement coordinator from the organ procurement organization who is physically housed within the hospital is the most successful model for accommodating early referral of potential donors and optimizing family support practices; and (3) a decedent's right to donate should take precedence in the donation process and such designation by the donor before death is irrevocable and does not require the consent or concurrence of any person after the donor's death.

Humans↗
PubMed2004

Organ donation and utilization in the USA.

The processes leading to donor identification, consent, organ procurement, and allocation continue to dominate debates and efforts in the field of transplantation. A considerable shortage of donors remains while the number of patients needing organ transplantation increases. This article reviews the main trends in organ donation practices and procurement patterns from both deceased and living sources in the USA. Although there have been increases in living donation in recent years, 2002 witnessed a much more modest growth of 1%. Absolute declines in living liver and lung donation were also noted in 2002. In 2002, the number of deceased donors increased by only 1.6% (101 donors). Increased donation from deceased donors provides more organs for transplantation than a comparable increase in living donation, because on average 3.6 organs are recovered from each deceased donor. The total number of organs recovered from deceased donors increased by 2.1% (462 organs). Poor organ quality continued to be the major reason given for nonrecovery of consented organs from deceased donors. The kidney is the organ most likely to be discarded after recovery. Over the past decade the discard rate of recovered kidneys has increased from 6% to 11%. Many of these are expanded criteria donor kidneys.

Cadaver↗
PubMed2003

The report of a national conference on the wait list for kidney transplantation.

In March, 2002, over 100 members of the transplant community assembled in Philadelphia for a meeting designed to address problems associated with the growing number of patients seeking kidney transplantation and added to the waiting list each year. The meeting included representatives of nine US organizations with interests in these issues. Participants divided into work groups addressing access to the waiting list, assigning priority on the list, list management, and identifying appropriate candidates for expanded criteria donor kidneys. Each work group outlined problems and potential remedies within each area. This report summarized the issues and recommendations regarding the waiting list for kidney transplantation addressed in the Philadelphia meeting.

Congresses as Topic↗
PubMed2002

Donor characteristics associated with reduced graft survival: an approach to expanding the pool of kidney donors.

BACKGROUND: Availability of cadaveric kidneys for transplantation is far below the growing need, leading to longer waiting time and more deaths while waiting. METHODS: Using national data from 1995 to 2000, we evaluated graft survival by donor characteristics and the rate of discard of retrieved organs, with the goal of increasing use of kidneys that are associated with increased risk of graft failure, that is, expanded donor kidneys. RESULTS: Cox models identified four donor factors that independently predicted significantly higher relative risk of graft loss compared with a low-risk group. These factors included donor age, cerebrovascular accident as the cause of death, renal insufficiency (serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dL), and history of hypertension. Expanded donor kidneys were defined as those with relative risk of graft loss greater than 1.70 and included all donors aged 60 years and older and those aged 50 to 59 years with at least two of the other three conditions (cerebrovascular cause of death, renal insufficiency, hypertension). The expanded donor group accounted for 14.8% of transplanted kidneys. Among organs procured from expanded donors, 38% were discarded versus 9% for all other kidneys. The risk of graft loss of expanded donor kidneys was increased in both older and younger recipients but to a greater extent in those recipients older than 50 years. CONCLUSION: By identifying donor factors associated with graft failure, these analyses may help to expand the number of transplanted kidneys by increasing the utilization of retrieved cadaveric kidneys.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

The nondirected live-kidney donor: ethical considerations and practice guidelines: A National Conference Report.

BACKGROUND: The success of kidney transplantation from a genetically unrelated living spouse or friend has influenced transplant physicians to consider the requests of individuals wishing to volunteer to be a kidney donor who have no intended recipient specified. Representatives of the transplant community gathered in Boston, MA, on May 31, 2001, to deliberate on the experience of live kidney donation from such volunteers, currently termed nondirected donors (NDD). OBJECTIVE OF CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS: The objective of the conference was to recommend ethical and practice guidelines for health care professionals considering the transplantation of a kidney from a live NDD. CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS: This conference was convened under the sponsorship of The National Kidney Foundation, with representation from The American Society of Transplantation and The American Society of Transplant Surgeons, The American Society of Nephrology, The United Resource Networks, The United Network for Organ Sharing, The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, The National Institutes of Health, and The Division of Transplantation of the Health Resources and Services Administration (see Appendix). CONFERENCE REPORT: The suggested content of screening interviews, which provide information regarding the donation process, elicits pertinent medical and psychosocial history, and assesses NDD motivation are presented in this report. Approaches to identifying the center that would evaluate the suitability of the NDD, to performing the kidney recovery, and to selecting the NDD recipient are also proposed. Other ethical issues such as the use of prisoners as an NDD, compensation for the NDD, media involvement, and communication between the NDD and recipient are discussed. CONCLUSION: The willingness of health care professionals to consider NDD volunteers is driven by the compelling need to provide organs for an ever-expanding list of patients awaiting a kidney transplant. However, the psychological impact and emotional reward of donation has yet to be determined for NDD who may not have any relationship to the recipient or knowledge of the recipient's outcome. Transplant centers that accept NDD should document an informed consent process that details donor risks, assures donor safety, and determines that the goals and expectations of the NDD and the recipient can be realized.

Communication↗