Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026
Donor Posterior Atrial Flap Rotation for Left Atrial Cuff Reconstruction in Lung Transplantation
Published on: October 11, 2024
Impact of donor lung pathogenic bacteria on patient outcomes in the immediate post-transplant period
Omar Ahmad1, Alexis E Shafii2, David M Mannino3
1Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
Background:
Patient outcomes post-lung transplant remain inferior to other types of solid organ transplantation. We investigated whether the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria (PPB) in donor lung bronchial cultures was associated with adverse outcomes postoperatively.
Methods:
All patients who underwent lung transplantation between August 2015 and April 2017 at the University of Kentucky Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed. Retransplants, patients with bronchiectasis (including cystic fibrosis), and individuals who received organs from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors were excluded. The remaining subjects were separated into two groups: individuals whose donor bronchial cultures grew PPB, and those whose cultures either returned negative for PPB or were sterile. 30-day mortality rates as well as the incidence of grade 3 primary graft dysfunction (PGD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) at both 24 and 72 hours post-transplant were calculated. The duration of mechanical ventilation postoperatively was also recorded.
Results:
Thirty two subjects comprised the study population. 20 patients (63%) had growth of PPB on donor cultures, while 12 (37%) did not. Patients with PPB had a significantly greater number of days on the ventilator postoperatively compared to those with no PPB (mean = 11.3 and median = 5.0 vs mean = 5.8 and median = 3.0, respectively, P = 0.0232). Subsequent regression analysis revealed this association to not be influenced by recipient lung allocation score (LAS), donor age, donor smoking history, recipient mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) value, and/or use of cardiopulmonary bypass at the time of transplantation. Neither 30-day survival nor incidence of Grade 3 PGD and AKI at 24 or 72 hours post-transplant differed between the two groups (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
The recovery of PPB in donor lung cultures was associated with a longer duration of mechanical ventilation postoperatively in lung transplant recipients.
Insights
Potentially pathogenic bacteria (PPB) in donor lungs prolonged mechanical ventilation after lung transplants. However, PPB did not impact 30-day survival or graft dysfunction rates.
Area of Science:
- Transplantation immunology
- Microbiology
- Critical care medicine
Background:
- Lung transplant outcomes lag behind other solid organ transplants.
- Investigating donor-derived factors influencing post-transplant complications is crucial.
- The role of potentially pathogenic bacteria (PPB) in donor lungs requires further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if PPB in donor lung bronchial cultures correlate with adverse outcomes post-lung transplant.
- To analyze the association between PPB and 30-day mortality, primary graft dysfunction (PGD), and acute kidney injury (AKI).
- To assess the impact of PPB on the duration of mechanical ventilation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of lung transplant recipients from August 2015 to April 2017.
- Exclusion of retransplants, patients with bronchiectasis, and DCD donors.
- Comparison of outcomes between donor lungs with and without PPB growth.
Main Results:
- 20 out of 32 recipients (63%) had donor lungs with PPB.
- PPB presence was significantly associated with longer mechanical ventilation duration (P=0.0232).
- No significant differences in 30-day survival, Grade 3 PGD, or AKI incidence were observed.
Conclusions:
- PPB in donor lung cultures is linked to prolonged mechanical ventilation.
- PPB does not appear to affect short-term graft function or survival.
- Further research into managing PPB in donor lungs may improve patient recovery.
Related Concept Videos
03:25The Periodic Table
04:00Periodic Classification of the Elements
02:24Predicting Reaction Outcomes
01:19Impact of Groups on Groups
01:13Outcomes of Glycolysis
Cellular respiration can occur aerobically (with oxygen) or anaerobically (without oxygen). In the presence of oxygen, cellular respiration starts with glycolysis and continues with pyruvate...
01:07Effective Value of a Periodic Waveform
The effective value of a periodic current represents the direct current (DC) that conveys the same average power to a resistor as the periodic current itself. This concept is crucial when assessing AC circuits. To determine the...