The Spring 2024 issue celebrates 2023 as the first year on record with more than 10,000 liver transplants performed in the U.S., alongside policy changes driving a 6% increase in deceased kidney donors. Inside: research on aging transplant recipients, alcohol relapse, machine perfusion donor expansion, and DCD multiorgan heart transplantation; a recap of the SATA National Symposium in Seattle and the announcement of SATA’s application to become an ASA subspecialty society; a special topic on lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum; a program spotlight on UCLA’s abdominal transplant program; and a member feature with Dr. Christine Nguyen-Buckley.
Inside This Issue
- UNOS News — 10,000+ liver transplants in 2023 (11-year record streak), new minimum donor criteria for kidney biopsies driving a 6% increase in deceased kidney donors, the new “pre-transplant mortality rate ratio” performance metric (effective July 2024), and a reduced organ offer acceptance limit (May 29, 2024)
- Research Updates — Perioperative considerations in older transplant recipients, alcohol relapse prevention strategies, liver machine perfusion’s expansion of the donor pool, universal antifungal prophylaxis in pediatric liver transplant, cardiovascular risk assessment in liver candidates, and outcomes of DCD multiorgan heart transplantation
- SATA Council & National Meeting Recap — Executive Council met in Seattle (May 19–20, 2024); SATA has initiated the formal application to become an ASA subspecialty society; the National Symposium drew 50+ physicians and hosted the first POCUS/TEE Interactive Training Workshop, with a joint session from KSTA
- Special Topics — Dr. Alex Stoker on lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum (LHIS), including TEE recognition of the classic “dumbbell” shape
- Program Spotlight — UCLA Abdominal Organ Transplant Program at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, with Drs. Christine Nguyen-Buckley and Christopher Wray on UCLA’s high-acuity population (avg. MELD-Na 34), 195 liver transplants in 2023, simulation-based resident training, and a one-year non-ACGME LT fellowship
