Insights to Help You Move Forward Smarter

October’s Article of the Month, with commentary from Dr. Cale Kassel, analyzes SRTR registry data from March 2020 through August 2021 — the first 18 months of the pandemic — to evaluate how SARS-CoV-2-positive deceased donors were used (or not used) across U.S. solid organ transplantation. Despite comparable post-transplant graft survival for kidney, liver, and heart recipients regardless of donor SARS-CoV-2 status, COVID-positive organs were recovered and transplanted at significantly lower rates — suggesting an opportunity to safely expand the donor pool.

September’s Article of the Month, with commentary from Dr. Scott Byram, examines a 250-patient retrospective study identifying risk factors for postreperfusion syndrome (PRS) in living donor liver transplantation. While most prior PRS literature has focused on DBD recipients, this analysis pinpoints five independent associations specific to LDLT — including two modifiable intraoperative factors (ionized calcium and mean pulmonary artery pressure) that may give anesthesiologists levers to reduce PRS risk before portal vein reperfusion.

July’s Article of the Month, with commentary from Dr. Cale Kassel, is a narrative review on hyponatremia in liver transplantation — one of the most common electrolyte challenges anesthesiologists face perioperatively, and the source of the rare but devastating osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS). The review consolidates the evidence on outcomes, walks through pre-, intra-, and postoperative management strategies, and offers practical guidance — including a reference table for diluting standard fluids and blood products with D5W to control sodium delivery.

June’s Article of the Month, with commentary from Dr. Scott Byram, examines the OCS Liver PROTECT trial — the first multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing portable normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) to standard ischemic cold storage (ICS) for liver preservation. Across 20 U.S. transplant programs and 293 recipients, NMP using the Organ Care System reduced early allograft dysfunction, lowered ischemic biliary complications at 6 and 12 months, and enabled greater use of marginal donor organs — particularly DCD livers.