Identifying adverse events: reflections on an imperfect gold standard after 20 years of patient safety research

Analysis and support of clinical decision makin

Decision making around living and deceased donor kidney transplantation: a qualitative study exploring the importance of expected relationship changes

Transplant surger

Biomarkers to discriminate between aseptic loosened and stable total hip or knee arthroplasties: a systematic review

Background: Loosening is a major cause for failure of total hip and total knee arthroplasties (THAs/TKAs). Preemptive diagnostics of asymptomatic loosening could open strategies to prevent gross loosening. A multitude of biomarkers may discriminate between loosened and stable implants, but it is unknown which have the best performance. The present systematic review aimed to assess which biomarkers have shown the most promising results in discriminating between stable and aseptic loosened THAs and TKAs.Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Academic Search Premier were systematically searched up to January 2020 for studies including THA/TKA and biomarkers to assess loosening. Two reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using the ICROMS tool to classify the quality of the studies.Results: Twenty-eight (three high-quality) studies were included, reporting on a median of 48 patients (interquartile range 28-69). Serum and urine markers were evaluated in 22 and 10 studies, respectively. Tumor necrosis factor alpha and osteocalcin were significantly higher in loosened compared with stable implants. Urinary N-terminal telopeptide had significantly elevated levels in loosened prostheses.Conclusion: Several serum and urine markers were promising in discriminating between loosened and stable implants. We recommend future studies to evaluate these biomarkers in a longitudinal fashion to assess whether progression of loosening is associated with a change in these biomarkers. In particular, high-quality studies assessing the usability of these biomarkers are needed.Orthopaedics, Trauma Surgery and Rehabilitatio

Contribution of donor and recipient characteristics to short- and long-term pancreas graft survival

Transplant surger

Contribution of donor and recipient characteristics to short- and long-term pancreas graft survival

Background: Many donor and recipient factors are known to affect pancreas graft survival. However, their relative importance in explaining differences in graft survival is unknown. Purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the impact of donor and recipient factors on pancreas graft survival, and compare their contribution in explaining graft survival differences. Material/Methods: Patient records of all 170 pancreas transplantations (158 Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney; 12 Pancreas-after-kidney) in the period 1997-2008 were reviewed retrospectively to assess recipient factors before/during transplantation, and to assess graft survival. Eurotransplant reports were reviewed to assess donor factors. Results: Death-censored 1-year graft survival was 88.4% and 82.3% at 3 years. Several factors significantly influenced graft survival: female recipient gender (Hazard Ratio (HR) 2.81[1.10-7.14]), enteric graft drainage (HR 2.85[1.15-7.05]), and donor-recipient match on BMI (HR 2.46[1.01-6.02]). None of the donor factors significantly affected survival. Similar results were found for 1-year survival, except for enteric graft drainage and donor-recipient BMI matching. In total, donor factors explained 3.6% and recipient factors 10.0% of the variance in graft survival. Donor factors were more important for 1-year survival (3.1%), but still less important than recipient factors which explained 6.4%. Conclusions: Recipient factors are more important in explaining differences in pancreas graft survival than donor factors.Transplant surger

Reduced quality of life in living kidney donors: association with fatigue, societal participation and pre-donation variables

Transplant surger

Difference in quality of life, fatigue and societal participation between living and deceased donor kidney transplant recipients

Prevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD

Decision making around living and deceased donor kidney transplantation: a qualitative study exploring the importance of expected relationship changes

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Limited data exist on the impact of living kidney donation on the donor-recipient relationship. Purpose of this study was to explore motivations to donate or accept a (living donor) kidney, whether expected relationship changes influence decision making and whether relationship changes are actually experienced. METHODS: We conducted 6 focus groups in 47 of 114 invited individuals (41%), asking retrospectively about motivations and decision making around transplantation. We used qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the focus group transcripts. RESULTS: Most deceased donor kidney recipients had a potential living donor available which they refused or did not want. They mostly waited for a deceased donor because of concern for the donors health (75%). They more often expected negative relationship changes than living donor kidney recipients (75% vs. 27%, p = 0.01) who also expected positive changes. Living donor kidney recipients mostly accepted the kidney to improve their own quality of life (47%). Donors mostly donated a kidney because transplantation would make the recipient less dependent (25%). After transplantation both positive and negative relationship changes are experienced. CONCLUSION: Expected relationship changes and concerns about the donors health lead some kidney patients to wait for a deceased donor, despite having a potential living donor available. Further research is needed to assess whether this concerns a selected group.Analysis and support of clinical decision makin