Thomas, Mathew

Prehabilitation with Impella 5.5 offers hemodynamic support while allowing early mobilization, yet its overall effect on post-transplant recovery remains unclear. The aim was to assess recovery during Impella 5.5–supported prehabilitation and determine its association with early post-heart transplant outcomes, including a potential dose–response relationship with ambulatory activity. We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of adults bridged to transplant with Impella 5.5 between April 1, 2022 and September 30, 2024. Daily walking distance, recorded by nursing staff, served as the intervention. Primary outcome was postoperative hospital length of stay (LOS); the secondary outcome was time to extubation. Fine–Gray competing-risk models, adjusted for age, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, and days of Impella support, assessed associations. Longitudinal recovery trajectories were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models incorporating restricted cubic splines. Among 82 eligible patients, 65 met the inclusion criteria. Patients who walked farther during Impella 5.5 support in the intensive care unit (ICU) had shorter hospital stays and were taken off the ventilator sooner after transplantation. The overall recovery peaked during the first 2–3 weeks of support, with smaller recovery thereafter, indicating that most functional recovery occurred early during prehabilitation.

ABSTRACT Background Treating Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection pre‐lung transplant (LT) can be challenging to treat, given prolonged therapy and side effects. The impact of pre‐transplant MAC treatment on recurrence and outcomes post‐LT remains unclear, especially in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) who have a median survival of less than 2 years. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of adult LT patients at the Mayo Clinic who had positive MAC sputum cultures pre‐LT. The cohort was stratified and compared based on the type of treatment (complete, partial, or no treatment) for MAC pulmonary infection. The primary outcome was MAC recurrence post‐LT, and secondary outcomes were mortality, FEV‐1, and FVC at 1‐year post‐LT. Results Among the cohort of 47 patients, 9 (19.1%) were partially treated and 11 (23.4%) were completely treated for MAC infection pre‐LT. Post‐transplant MAC pulmonary infection recurrence occurred in eight (17%) of the total cohort, with four (14.8%) in the non‐treated, four (44.4%) in the partially‐treated, and none (0%) in the completely treated patients ( p = 0.026). There was no difference in mortality in patients who had MAC recurrence post‐transplantation (13% vs. 9.7%, p > 0.9) and those who were completely or partially treated, compared to non‐treated (0% vs. 13% vs. 13%, p > 0.9). The FEV1 and FVC at 1‐year post‐LT did not differ by the pre‐transplant treatment or post‐transplant MAC recurrence status. Conclusion The role of treatment for MAC infection pre‐transplant is questionable, especially in patients with diseases like ILD who may not have enough wait time to complete therapy.

Background Assessment of gastric conduit perfusion during esophagectomy is crucial to determine its viability and identify the optimal site for anastomosis. Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging is commonly used for this purpose, but it is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to ICG, iodine, or shellfish. Oxygen saturation endoscopic imaging (OXEI) is a newer, non-pharmacologic technique for assessing perfusion. We report our experience with OXEI in 3 esophagectomy patients who had contraindications to ICG. Methods All 3 patients underwent robot-assisted esophagectomies. None of the conduits had ischemic areas identified by white light. Using a 5 mm laparoscopic specialized camera (ELUXEO Vision, FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corp., USA), OXEI was deployed for intracorporeal assessment of gastric conduit perfusion after pull-up into the chest. Postoperative outcomes including anastomotic leaks and complications were recorded. Results In two patients, OXEI revealed ischemic zones, which were resected to ensure optimal conduit viability. In the remaining patient, OXEI indicated robust vascularity throughout the conduit. All three patients experienced uneventful postoperative courses and were discharged within 10 days. There were no instances of anastomotic leaks or other major complications. Conclusion In our experience, OXEI is a viable method for intraoperative assessment of gastric conduit perfusion in patients with contraindications to ICG. Prospective studies are needed to validate its efficacy in preventing anastomotic complications and to compare it with other methods of perfusion assessment including gross visual and ICG dye in a larger patient population.

Abstract Lung transplant recipients are at higher risk of developing COVID-19 infection compared to other solid organ transplants. The risk further increases in the unvaccinated patients. We present a case of a 43-year-old male who underwent bilateral sequential lung transplantation for pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) and had an uneventful recovery. However, two years post-transplantation, the patient developed chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome and two episodes of COVID-19 infection. During the second episode of COVID-19 infection, the patient developed sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction ultimately resulting in death. Our case report highlights the increased susceptibility of PAM patients’ post-lung transplant to COVID-19 infection. Continuous follow-up of PAM patients’ post-lung transplantation is necessary to prevent unfavorable outcomes.

Abstract Bronchopleural fistulas (BPFs) are a dreaded complication following pulmonary surgery. Endobronchial valves (EVs), with endobronchial sealant (ES), instilled with robotic bronchoscopy (RB), allow occlusion of BPF, avoiding surgery. The patient was a 71-year-old woman with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis who underwent bilateral lung transplantation and wedge resection of the right middle lobe and left lingula. A BPF was discovered on postoperative day (POD) 21. Conservative measures with chest tubes failed, and robotic-assisted bronchoscopy aided in reaching the bronchial segment and instilling ES, and EV was deployed with the conventional bronchoscope. The pneumothorax was cleared 12 days later, and on POD 56, she was discharged. The RB procedure was successful, with no pneumothorax or BPF symptoms after a median follow-up of POD 284. Robotic endobronchial closure of BPF with EV and ES is an effective treatment option avoiding invasive surgeries.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the 30-day postoperative mortality and palliative care consultations in patients that underwent surgical procedures in the United States before and after Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (MACRA) implementation. DESIGN: Retrospective, Observational cohort study. SETTING: Secondary data were collected from the U.S. National Inpatient Sample, the largest hospital database in the country. The time span was from 2011 to 2019. PATIENTS: Adult patients that electively underwent 1 of 19 major procedures. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was cumulative postoperative mortality in two study cohorts. The secondary outcome was palliative care use. We identified 4,900,451 patients and categorized them into two study cohorts: PreM: 2011–2014 (n = 2,103,836) and PostM: 2016–2019 (n = 2,796,615). Regression discontinuity estimates and multivariate analysis were used. Across all procedures, 149,372 patients (7.1%) and 156,610 patients (5%) died within 30 days of their index procedures in the PreM and PostM cohorts, respectively. There was no statistically significant increase in mortality rates around postoperative day (POD) 30 (POD 26–30 vs 31–35) for both cohorts. More patients had inpatient palliative consultations during POD 31–60 compared with POD 1–30 in PreM (8,533 of 2,081,207 patients [0.4%] vs 1,118 of 22,629 patients [4.9%]) and PostM (18,915 of 2,791,712 patients [0.7%] vs 417 of 4,903 patients [8.5%]). Patients were more likely to receive palliative care consultations during POD 31–60 compared with POD 1–30 in both the PreM (odds ratio [OR] 5.31; 95% CI, 2.22–8.68; p < 0.001) and the PostM (OR 7.84; 95% CI, 4.83–9.10; p < 0.001) cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: We did not observe an increase in postoperative mortality after POD 30 before or after MACRA implementation. However, palliative care use markedly increased after POD 30. These findings should be considered hypothesis-generating because of several confounders.