ASOT 2019 UPDATE

FIRST CONGRESS OF AFRICAN SOCIETY OF ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION TAKES PLACE IN CAIRO WITH TTS ENDORSEMENT AND PARTICIPATION

Just over a year ago, the African Society of Organ Transplantation (ASOT) was established with the encouragement and support of The Transplantation Society. Inaugurated during the 4th Congress of the Egyptian Transplant society (EST), Prof. Gamal Saadi was elected as its first President.

One year later, on 16-18 October 2019, the ASOT organized its first congress in conjunction with the 5th Congress of the EST in Cairo, Egypt. Attended by a large number of attendees from the African continent, TTS was also represented by several members of its leadership, with TTS President Prof. Mehmet Haberal participating as Guest of Honor.

Prof. Haberal Pictured with ESNT President Dr. M. Hany Hafez, ASOT President Dr. Gamal Saadi, and MESOT President Dr. Refaat Kamel

On the first day of the congress, Prof. Haberal gave his opening lecture on Deceased Organ Donation. Emphasizing  the importance of deceased donation for both the eradication of unethical and illegal transplantation activities such as organ trade and transplant tourism, Prof. Haberal drew attention to the infrastructure that must be established in transplantation programs everywhere in the world to achieve these goals.  Following his opening lecture, Prof. Haberal was presented with a plaque in honor of his contributions to transplantation in Africa and the world.

Realizing that in order to provide global access to equal standards of healthcare it would be necessary to address local needs, since the beginning of his presidency, Prof. Haberal has taken important steps to address the obstacles to developing and maintaining ethical and legal transplantation activities in various countries and regions. The most important of these has been the establishment of the India, China and Africa Relations Committees.

Today, the three committees are actively engaged in discussion with local colleagues and are taking steps to ensure that they receive support from TTS in developing their transplant programs and doing so within the ethical and legal framework of TTS rules.

Prof. Haberal also organized the first TTS Regional Meeting with the theme of Deceased Donation in Istanbul in March 2019. The continuation of the regional meetings  will be an effective means of addressing the disparities and specific needs of each region. In the meantime, by working with and endorsing the meetings of other national and regional societies, TTS continues to support scientific activities globally.

Prof. Haberal receives a plaque in honor of his contributions to transplantation in Africa and the world.

TTS-ILTS PAIRED TRANSPLANT CENTERS PROGRAM
DEADLINE JANUARY 1, 2020

The TTS-ILTS Paired Transplant Centers Program is a collaboration between The Transplantation Society (TTS) and the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS) supporting new liver transplant programs in emerging countries.

Transplantation - WEEK'S MOST DOWNLOADED PAPER

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Transplantation - Highlighted Article

Dr. Andrea Schlegel, Editorial Fellow, Transplantation

A Propensity Matched Survival Analysis: Do Simultaneous Liver-Lung Transplant Recipients Need a Liver?
Freischlag K, Ezekian B, Schroder PM,  et al. 
Transplantation Publish Ahead of Print DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000002529 1

Although a combined liver lung transplantation may serve as lifesaving procedure in end stage liver and lung disease, the indication to allocate two solid organs to one recipient, has been repeatedly challenged. Authors from the Duke University medical centre have applied a propensity score matching to compare outcomes of combined liver lung transplants with lung only transplants performed between 2006-2016 and obtained from the UNOS database.

A good number of 38 combined liver-lung transplants was matched and analysed. Two main findings are of interest. Expectedly, the initial investment to achieve an early postoperative recovery is higher in combined liver lung recipients, identified through a significantly longer hospital stay (22 vs. 46 days, p<0.0001) with however similar long-term outcomes. Survival rates five years after transplantation appeared good and comparable in both groups (67% vs 65%). Such findings are of clinical relevance because they reopen the discussion of how necessary the additional liver transplantation is for recipients with underlying conditions, where the prediction of liver function during and after solitary lung transplant in recipients with for example cystic fibrosis appears very difficult. Based on the results of this analysis, a re-evaluation of currently applied criteria to indicate a combined liver lung transplant would be beneficial.

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TTS Education Committee's Precision Medicine Webinar Series - NEW RELEASE

New release - the most recent webinar in the Precision Medicine Webinar Series. Dr. Peter Nickerson is presenting on new concepts for improving long-term outcomes. This webinar is moderated by Patricia Campbell. Still available, the previous webinars in the series. Log in and take advantage of writing questions to the moderators and presenters in your own time.