Pancreatic islet transplantation is a minimally invasive procedure that can restore normoglycemia and insulin independence in Type 1 diabetics without the surgical complications associated with vascularized pancreas transplantation. The advances made in this field over the past decade have dramatically improved patient outcomes, and the procedure is now transitioning from an experimental treatment to a clinical reality. Nonetheless, a number of important issues continue to hamper the success of islet transplantation and must be addressed before there is widespread clinical acceptance. These include the relative inefficiency of the islet isolation process, the progressive loss of islet function over time and the need for multiple donors to achieve insulin independence. Here, we discuss the current status of islet transplantation and examine its future as a treatment for Type 1 diabetes.

FIGURE 2. Total case number before and after the initiation of an outpatient COVID-19 management protocol in solid organ transplant recipients. A, Hospitalization and deaths were significantly reduced in both the KG and LG after the protocol was implemented (P = 0.01 for both). B, mAb therapy reduced hospitalization and eliminated deaths (P = 0.045, and P = 0.04) when compared to patients who met the criteria for administration but did not receive the therapy. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; KG, kidney transplant recipient group; LG, liver transplant recipient group; mAb, monoclonal antibody.

Hypothesis: Despite the overall acceptance of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDNX), concern remains about the application of this technique in certain complex situations, such as right-sided nephrectomies and in donors with complex kidney anatomy and obese donors. This study was designed to determine if complication rates have remained stable as we have offered LDNX to all medically acceptable donors and to analyze the results of cases in each of the complex categories. We hypothesized that complication rates in the 3 complex categories would be equivalent to those among more straightforward cases.

INTRODUCTION: Thromboelastography (TEG) has emerged as a tool to guide resuscitation in Liver Transplantation (LT). We aim to identify effects of TEG utilization on product use and blood loss in LT.METHODS: Adult patients (age >18-years-old) who received LT between 2014 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Living donor, simultaneous/multi-organ transplants, re-transplants, and pediatric transplants were excluded. Impact of TEG on blood products and intraoperative blood loss was analyzed. A subgroup analysis was done based on INR. The median, 75th and 90th percentile of INR at transplant were used as cut-off values. Patients were classified into four categories: no, mild, moderate, and severe coagulopathy groups.