Utilizing computed tomography volumetry for size matching prior to lung transplantation: A case series

BACKGROUND: Appropriate size matching between donor and recipient is critical for successful pulmonary transplantation. Although surrogate measurements such as height and gender are often utilized to approximate predicted lung volume, these methods provide only a gross estimation with wide variability and poor predictive value. CASE DESCRIPTION: A single center exploratory study was conducted in which four patients underwent lung transplantation (LT) with pre-operative computed tomography (CT) volumetry obtained in both the donor and recipient to facilitate decision making regarding organ size and suitability. In four cases in which CT volumetry was used, the lung volumes calculated using surrogate measurements significantly overestimated both donor and recipient lung volumes quantified by CT volumetric analysis. All recipients underwent successful LT without necessary graft downsizing. CONCLUSIONS: This is an initial report of prospectively utilizing CT volumetry as an adjunct to decision-making regarding suitability of donor lungs. In these cases, CT volumetry facilitated the confident acceptance of donor lungs that were initially predicted to be oversized based on other clinical measures

Economic evaluation of the specialized donor care facility for thoracic organ donor management

Background: Over the last decade two alternative models of donor care have emerged in the United States: the conventional model, whereby donors are managed at the hospital where brain death occurs, and the specialized donor care facility (SDCF), in which brain dead donors are transferred to a SDCF for medical optimization and organ procurement. Despite increasing use of the SDCF model, its cost-effectiveness in comparison to the conventional model remains unknown. Methods: We performed an economic evaluation of the SDCF and conventional model of donor care from the perspective of U.S. transplant centers over a 2-year study period. In this analysis, we utilized nationwide data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients and controlled for donor characteristics and patterns of organ sharing across the nation\u27s organ procurement organizations (OPOs). Subgroup analysis was performed to determine the impact of the SDCF model on thoracic organ transplants. Results: A total of 38,944 organ transplants were performed in the U.S. during the study period from 13,539 donors with an observed total organ cost of $1.36 billion. If every OPO assumed the cost and effectiveness of the SDCF model, a predicted 39,155 organ transplants (+211) would have been performed with a predicted total organ cost of$1.26 billion (-$100 million). Subgroup analysis of thoracic organs revealed that the SDCF model would lead to a predicted 156 additional transplants with a cost saving of$24.6 million. Conclusions: The U.S. SDCF model may be a less costly and more effective means of multi-organ donor management, particularly for thoracic organ donors, compared to the conventional hospital-based model

Uncertainty analysis of chest X-ray lung height measurements and size matching for lung transplantation

Background: Errors in measuring chest X-ray (CXR) lung heights could contribute to the occurrence of size-mismatched lung transplant procedures. Methods: We first used Bland-Altman analysis for repeated measures to evaluate contributors to measurement error of chest X-ray lung height. We then applied error propagation theory to assess the impact of measurement error on size matching for lung transplantation. Results: A total 387 chest X-rays from twenty-five donors and twenty-five recipients were measured by two raters. Individual standard deviation for lung height differences were independent of age, sex, donor Conclusions: Individual chest X-ray lung heights are imprecise for the purpose of size matching in lung transplantation. Averaging chest X-rays lung heights reduced uncertainty