J. Magruder

Association Between Prolonged Graft Ischemia and Primary Graft Failure or Survival Following Lung Transplantation

IMPORTANCE The effect of prolonged graft ischemia (≥6 hours) on outcomes following lung transplantation is controversial. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of prolonged total graft ischemia times on long-term survival rates and the development of primary graft failure (PGF) following lung transplantation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this retrospective study, the United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried for adult patients who underwent lung transplantation from May 1, 2005, through December 31, 2011. Primary stratification by the presence of prolonged graft ischemia was performed. Kaplan-Meier estimates at 1 and 5 years were used to compare survival in the 2 cohorts. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model was constructed to identify predictors of 1- and 5-year mortality. A risk-adjusted predictive model for the development of PGF was formulated in a similar fashion. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome of interest was 1- and 5-year survival. Secondary outcomes included PGF and other postoperative events, such as renal failure, biopsy-proven rejection, and stroke. RESULTS Of the 10,225 patients who underwent lung transplantation, 3127 (30.6%) had allografts exposed to prolonged ischemia. There was no difference in survival at 1 (83.6% [95% CI, 82.3%-84.9%] vs 84.1% [95% CI, 83.3%-85.0%]; P = .41) or 5 (52.5% [95% CI, 51.0%-54.0%] vs 53.5% [95% CI, 51.3%-55.6%]; P = .82) years between patients who received grafts that were or were not exposed to ischemia that lasted 6 hours or more, respectively. Prolonged graft ischemia did not independently predict 1- or 5-year mortality or the development of PGF (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.88-1.39; P = .37). Furthermore, prolonged ischemia did not independently predict 1-year (hazard ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.97-1.22; P =.15) or 5-year (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.98-1.14; P =.18) mortality or the development of PGF (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.88-1.39; P =.37). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE No association was found between prolonged total graft ischemia times and primary graft failure or survival following lung transplantation. Given the scarcity of organs and the paucity of suitable recipients, prolonged ischemia time should not preclude transplantation. It is, therefore, reasonable to consider extending the accepted period of ischemia to more than 6 hours in certain patient populations to improve organ use.

Clinicopathologic Presentation and Natural History of Anorectal Melanoma A Case Series of 18 Patients

Anorectal melanoma is a rare malignant neoplasm with variable natural history and nonspecific presentation. We describe the clinicopathologic and prognostic parameters of a series of 18 patients (16 [88.9%] white; 10 [55.6%] male; median age, 64.0 years [interquartile range, 45.8-74.3 years]) with histologically proven anorectal melanoma treated at our institution during a 21-year period between October 1991 and August 2012. Late diagnosis was common (44.5% of patients had stage II disease or worse at diagnosis), likely owing to a delay in presentation, nonspecific presenting symptoms, and frequent incorrect diagnoses (16 cases [88.9%]). Overall disease-specific mortality was 66.7% (12 of 18 patients), with a median time to death of 15.5 months (interquartile range, 7.3-25.5 months). Disease-specific survival was significantly better following wide local excision vs abdominoperineal resection (P = .04), although patients undergoing the former tended to have fewer rectal lesions (P = .04), smaller lesions (P = .02), and a trend toward less advanced stage (P = .06). Larger studies assessing optimal medical and surgical management for anorectal melanoma are needed to improve outcomes.

Technology and health information technology in colorectal surgery: electronic literature support.

The advent of the Internet has revolutionized the management of reporting and accessing research and data. The authors review the current resources available to surgeons through websites, accumulated published data repositories, and libraries. The change in how we publish and present peer-reviewed data over the last 20 years is also discussed as well as the future of health information technology.