Nutrition assessment and support of organ transplant recipients

Nutrition care for the adult post-intestinal transplant patient

Intestinal transplantation has emerged as an accepted treatment choice for individuals experiencing irreversible intestinal failure. This treatment is particularly relevant for those who are not candidates or have poor response to autologous gut reconstruction or trophic hormone therapy, and who can no longer be sustained on parenteral nutrition. One of the main goals of transplant is to eliminate the need for parenteral support and its associated complications, while safely restoring complete nutrition autonomy. An intestinal transplant is a complex process that goes beyond merely replacing the intestines to provide nourishment and ceasing parenteral support. It requires an integrated management approach in the pretransplant and posttransplant setting, and high-quality nutrition treatment is one of the cornerstones leading to favorable outcomes and long-term management. Since the outset of intestinal transplant in the early 2000s, there is observed improvement of achieving nutrition autonomy sooner in the initial posttransplant phase; however, the development of nutrition complications in the chronic posttransplant period remains a long-term risk. This review delineates the decision-making process and clinical protocols used to nutritionally manage and monitor pre- and post-intestine transplant patients.

Heart Transplantation-Postoperative Considerations

Heart transplantation (HT) remains the best treatment of patients with severe heart failure who are deemed to be transplant candidates. The authors discuss postoperative management of the HT recipient by system, emphasizing areas where care might differ from other cardiac surgery patients. Working together, critical care physicians, heart transplant surgeons and cardiologists, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, transplant coordinators, nursing staff, physical therapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation specialists, nutritionists, health psychologists, social workers, and the patient and their loved ones partner to increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Nutritional Strategies to Manage Malnutrition and Sarcopenia following Liver Transplantation: A Narrative Review

Persisting or newly developed malnutrition and sarcopenia after liver transplant (LT) are correlated with adverse health outcomes. This narrative review aims to examine the literature regarding nutrition strategies to manage malnutrition and sarcopenia after LT. The secondary aims are to provide an overview of the effect of nutrition strategies on the incidence of infections, hospital length of stay (LOS), acute cellular rejection (ACR), and mortality after LT. Four databases were searched. A total of 25 studies, mostly of mid-high quality, were included. Six studies found a beneficial effect on nutritional parameters using branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), immunomodulating diet (IMD), or enteral nutrition (EN) whereas two studies using beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) found a beneficial effect on muscle mass and function. Fourteen studies using pre- or pro-biotics, IMD, and EN were effective in lowering infection and six studies using IMD, BCAA or HMB reported reduced hospital LOS. Finally, four studies using HMB and vitamin D were effective in reducing ACR and one study reported reduced mortality using vitamin D after LT. In conclusion, nutritional intervention after LT has different beneficial effects on malnutrition, sarcopenia, and other advert outcomes. Additional large and well-constructed RCTs using validated tools to assess nutritional status and sarcopenia are warranted to ensure more robust conclusions.

Non-Immunologic Causes of Late Death-Censored Kidney Graft Failure: A Personalized Approach

Despite continuous advances in surgical and immunosuppressive protocols, the long-term survival of transplanted kidneys is still far from being satisfactory. Antibody-mediated rejection, recurrent autoimmune diseases, and death with functioning graft are the most frequent causes of late-kidney allograft failure. However, in addition to these complications, a number of other non-immunologic events may impair the function of transplanted kidneys and directly or indirectly lead to their failure. In this narrative review, we will list and discuss the most important nonimmune causes of late death-censored kidney graft failure, including quality of the donated kidney, adherence to prescriptions, drug toxicities, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, new onset diabetes mellitus, hyperuricemia, and lifestyle of the renal transplant recipient. For each of these risk factors, we will report the etiopathogenesis and the potential consequences on graft function, keeping in mind that in many cases, two or more risk factors may negatively interact together.

A method for percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy tube placement without sedation as a bridge to lung transplantation

Gastrostomy tube placement is an appropriate option for long-term nutritional support for patients who cannot tolerate oral intake. Common indications for a gastrostomy tube include head and neck tumors and neurological disorders. Several methods for gastrostomy tube insertion exist (eg, surgical, endoscopic, and radiologic) that require sedation or general anesthesia, which can pose risks of cardiopulmonary compromise and postsurgical pulmonary complications. Unlike other methods, our practice uses a percutaneous balloon-assisted gastrostomy tube insertion method for which we can perform without sedation. We report a case of a percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy procedure for a patient with end stage lung disease as a bridge to lung transplantation, who is not a candidate for sedation and is high-risk for general anesthesia. Through enteral feeds administered through the successfully placed gastrostomy tube, the patient showed steady improvement in weight gain over the course of several months before approval for listing by the lung transplant selection committee. Our case highlights how gastrostomy tube placement can be safely performed in patients who are not sedation candidates using the minimally invasive balloon-assisted gastrostomy tube insertion method and local anesthetic.

Survival and Nutritional Status of Male and Female Heart Transplant Patients Based on the Nutritional Risk Index

Malnutrition among heart-transplant patients may affect survival. The aim was to investigate the survival and nutrition status among male and female heart transplant patients who underwent transplantation, before and 1 year after surgery based on the nutritional risk index (NRI). The medical records of ninety heart-transplant patients (2009–2014) from the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, were reviewed. The assessment included demographic data, anthropometric measurements, and NRI calculation. Moreover, postoperative data included the length of stay and survival. Paired t-test and survival analysis by Kaplan–Meier (KM) curves were used. A total of 90 patients (males 77.78%) were included. The prevalence of malnutrition in the preoperative phase by NRI was 60% (7.78% as severe; 40% as moderate, and 12.22% mild NRI scores). After 1 year, body mass index (BMI) and NRI increased significantly (p < 0.001). Furthermore, NRI was significantly different between men and women (p < 0.01), while KM survival curves were insignificantly different (p = 0.67). Recipients with postoperative moderate or severe nutritional risk (NRI < 97.5) had significantly shorter survival in the first-year post-transplantation (HR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.75–0.89; p < 0.001). Our findings indicate that the NRI after 1 year of transplant correlated significantly with mortality. Besides, there was no significant gender difference regarding survival; however, malnutrition and low survival were more prominent among women.

Functional status-based risk-benefit analyses of high-KDPI kidney transplant versus dialysis

Yearly, over half of deceased-donor kidneys with kidney donor profile index (KDPI) > 85 were discarded, yet they could improve survival outcomes for dialysis patients. The potential risk of high-KDPI kidney transplant (KT) depends on the patient's overall health summarized by functional status, which should be examined. The analyzed cohort consisted of adult deceased-donor KT candidates on dialysis listed in 2005-2014. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was fitted with functional status, measured using Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS), and transplant status as time-varying covariates. Derived from the Cox model, survival curves were analyzed to compare the survival outcomes between dialysis and transplant with different kidney qualities across three different KPS strata: 10-40, 50-70, and 80-100. With KDPI 0-99 KT, KPS 10-40 patients will survive ≥4.38 years median compared with 3.21 years median if they remained on dialysis. For KPS 50+ patients, the median survival years increase from 5.82 to 6.60 years on dialysis to ≥7.83 years after KDPI < 100 KT. The risk-adjusted analyses suggested that patients are expected to benefit more from KDPI 81-99 KT than from remaining on dialysis.

Optimizing Nutrition Assessment to Create Better Outcomes in Lung Transplant Recipients: A Review of Current Practices

Lung transplantation offers patients with end-stage lung disease an opportunity for a better quality of life, but with limited organ availability it is paramount that selected patients have the best opportunity for successful outcomes. Nutrition plays a central role in post-surgical outcomes and, historically, body mass index (BMI) has been used as the de facto method of assessing a lung transplant candidate’s nutritional status. Here, we review the historical origins of BMI in lung transplantation, summarize the current BMI literature, and review studies of alternative/complementary body composition assessment tools, including lean psoas area, creatinine-height index, leptin, and dual x-ray absorptiometry. These body composition measures quantify lean body mass versus fat mass and may provide a more comprehensive analysis of a patient’s nutritional state than BMI alone.

Continuous terlipressin infusion is associated with improved diet intake and muscle strength in patients awaiting liver transplant

Background & Aims

Portal hypertension contributes to the pathogenesis of malnutrition and sarcopenia in cirrhosis via multiple mechanisms. Terlipressin is a vasopressin analogue that we administer via continuous outpatient infusion, as a bridge to transplantation in patients with hepatorenal syndrome or refractory ascites. We describe, for the first time, the impact of outpatient terlipressin on nutritional and muscle parameters.

Methods

Nutrition (subjective global assessment), handgrip strength, dietary intake (energy, protein), frequency of paracentesis and severity of liver disease (model for end-stage liver disease score) were prospectively recorded at terlipressin commencement and follow-up (transplantation, cessation or census date).

Results

Nineteen patients were included (89% male, median age 59.6 years, median model for end-stage liver disease score 24), of whom 12 had hepatorenal syndrome and 7 had refractory ascites. All patients were malnourished at baseline, 63% (n = 12) had sarcopenic-range grip strength, and mean paracentesis frequency was 2.86 ± 1.62/month. Median duration of terlipressin was 51 days (interquartile range 29–222). Fourteen patients (74%) were transplanted, 2 delisted (10%) and 3 (16%) continued terlipressin. Energy and protein intake improved significantly following terlipressin, from 17.94 ± 5.43 kcal/kg to 27.70 ± 7.48 kcal/kg, and 0.74 ± 0.28 g/kg to 1.16 ± 0.31 g/kg, respectively (both p < 0.001). Handgrip strength increased from 25.36 ± 8.13 kg to 28.49 ± 7.63 kg (p = 0.001). Linear regression analysis demonstrated hand grip strength increased 0.075% for every 1-day of terlipressin (p = 0.005). The frequency of large-volume paracentesis reduced by 46%, to 1.57 ± 1.51/month (p = 0.001).

Conclusion

Continuous terlipressin infusion reduces the complications of portal hypertension and is associated with an improvement in nutritional and muscle parameters in patients on the liver transplant waiting list, in whom such characteristics usually demonstrate progressive decline. This validates both the aetiological role of portal hypertension in malnutrition and represents a promising new anabolic therapy.

Lay summary

Malnutrition and poor muscle strength are common in liver disease and often get worse while patients await liver transplant. Terlipressin is a medication used to treat portal hypertension in patients with hepatorenal syndrome. It is usually given for a few days or weeks in patients confined to hospital. Our centre provides outpatient terlipressin for weeks to months as a bridge to liver transplant. In patients treated with terlipressin at our hospital, we observed a substantial increase in their dietary intake and muscle strength, which may improve their quality of life and outcomes after liver transplant.

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Malnutrition and poor muscle strength are highly prevalent in cirrhotics with hepatorenal syndrome.

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Terlipressin infusion increased energy and protein intake in patients with hepatorenal syndrome.

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Handgrip strength continued to increase with every day of terlipressin therapy

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Medium to long-term terlipressin infusion was safe and efficacious as a bridge to liver transplant.

Nutrition Trends in Kidney Transplant Recipients: the Importance of Dietary Monitoring and Need for Evidence-Based Recommendations

Many physiological properties of the renal system influence nutrient metabolism, elimination, and homeostasis. Kidney failure poses significant challenges to maintaining adequate nutrition, most of which transplantation ameliorates. Comprehensive recommendations for managing nutritional derangements for patients with chronic kidney disease and end stage renal disease exist; however, there are only sparse guidelines for post-transplant malnutrition and adverse outcomes. Not only are guidelines limited, but little is known about dietary trends of post-kidney transplant recipients. This review describes guidelines for prevalent metabolic and nutritional complications post-kidney transplantation and also evaluates changes in caloric intake and diet composition after transplantation. This topic is important because nutrition influences allograft function and a number of cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure, dyslipidemia, weight, and diabetes. In addition, many dietary recommendations and modifiable lifestyle changes should be tailored for specific complications of transplant patients, namely immunosuppression side effects, dietary restrictions, and electrolyte imbalances.

Update on Immunosuppressive Drugs Used in Solid-Organ Transplantation and Their Nutrition Implications

The success of solid organ transplantation rests heavily on the major advances in immunosuppressive therapy. The early years of organ transplantation were plagued with high failure rates and frequent episodes of acute rejection. With the introduction of improved immunosuppressive agents, successful organ transplantation has become the norm. The emphasis of immunosuppressive therapy has shifted from preventing rejection to balancing acceptable rates of rejection with moderation in adverse effects of the immunosuppressive agents. Among the many possible adverse effects of immunosuppressive therapy is the potential for these agents to affect the nutrition status of the transplant recipient. Given the fact that many patients undergoing transplantation are catabolic and nutritionally vulnerable, it is particularly important for those involved in the care of these patients to be familiar with the nutrition implications of immunosuppressive drugs. In this article, we review the different classes of immunosuppressive medications used in transplantation and emphasize their interactions with the nutrition status of the transplant recipient.

The management of perioperative nutrition in patients with end stage liver disease undergoing liver transplantation

Malnutrition is found in almost 100% of patients with end stage liver disease (ESLD) awaiting transplantation and malnutrition before transplantation leads to higher rates of post-transplant complications and worse graft survival outcomes. Reasons for protein energy malnutrition include several metabolic alterations such as inadequate intake, malabsorption, and overloaded expenditure. And also, stress from surgery, gastrointestinal reperfusion injury, immunosuppressive therapy and corticosteriods use lead to delayed bowl function recovery and disorder of nutrients absorption. In the pretransplant phase, nutritional goals include optimization of nutritional status and treatment of nutrition-related symptoms induced by hepatic decompensation. During the acute post-transplant phase, adequate nutrition is required to help support metabolic demands, replenish lost stores, prevent infection, arrive at a new immunologic balance, and promote overall recovery. In a word, it is extremely important to identify and correct nutritional deficiencies in this population and provide an adequate nutritional support during all phases of liver transplantation (LT). This study review focuses on prevalence, nutrition support, evaluation, and management of perioperative nutrition disorder in patients with ESLD undergoing LT.

Long-term dietary habits and interventions in solid-organ transplantation

Diet and nutrition are moving to the forefront of modern primary and preventive care to help address the rising burden of chronic diseases among the general population. Such a movement has yet to occur formally across the field of transplantation. We therefore looked to establish the current base of knowledge regarding diet, nutrition and solid-organ transplantation. A limited number of focused studies looking into the dietary habits of solid-organ transplant patients have been performed and many of the available studies have detailed the nutritional status in the peri-operative period. Frequently described, however, is the heavy incidence of metabolic abnormalities, such as obesity, dyslipidemia and diabetes, occurring after solid-organ transplantation. Optimistically, several studies have noted improvement in several metabolic abnormalities with the use of dietary interventions in the post-transplant period. Despite these positive results, few consensus guidelines for post-transplant diet have been established and nutritional support among transplant programs remains limited. Although there are many hurdles to implementation of detailed dietary recommendations and nutritional support for transplant patients, creating such programs and guidelines could dramatically impact long-term outcomes and burden of chronic metabolic disease for transplant recipients.

Nutrition assessment in patients undergoing liver transplant

Liver transplantation (LT) is a major surgery performed on patients with end stage liver disease. Nutrition is an integral part of patient care, and protein-energy malnutrition is almost universally present in patients suffering from liver disease undergoing LT. Nutrition assessment of preliver transplant phase helps to make a good nutrition care plan for the patients. Nutrition status has been associated with various factors which are related to the success of liver transplant such as morbidity, mortality, and length of hospital stay. To assess the nutritional status of preliver transplant patients, combinations of nutrition assessment methods should be used like subjective global assessment, Anthropometry mid arm-muscle circumference, Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and handgrip strength.

Nutrition in kidney transplantation

Organ transplantation has progressively established itself as the preferred therapy for many end-stage organ failures. However, many of these chronic diseases and their treatments can negatively affect nutritional status, leading to malnutrition and mineral deficiencies.Nutritional status is an important determinant of the clinical outcome of kidney transplant recipients.Malnutrition and obesity may represent a contraindication to transplantation in many cases and may increase the risk of postoperative complications after the transplantation. Nutritional support in kidney transplant recipients is challenging, since it must take into account the pre-transplant nutritional status, the side effects of immunosuppression, the function of the transplanted graft, the presence of infection, and the general status of the patient at the time of the transplantation.With these considerations in mind, we reviewed current literature on the impact of nutritional status on the outcome of kidney transplantation.

Development of a software tool for computation of parenteral nutrition in adults, and its potential role in improving nutritional care

The detailed development of a computer program for management of parenteral nutrition (PN) in adults is described. Strengths and weaknesses are mentioned. By using the software, individualized PN prescriptions based on patient age, weight, sex, and clinical condition can be determined and available formulations can be automatically selected from incorporated databases. Automated PN management potentially enhances our ability to provide nutritional support with greater accuracy and precision and reduces the time required for writing and calculations. Day-to-day changes may also be monitored rapidly, simply, and safely.

Derivation and validation of a new global method for assessing nutritional status in patients with cirrhosis

Accurate assessments of nutritional status are difficult to obtain in patients with cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to devise and validate a global nutritional assessment scheme for use in this patient population. Measures of body mass index (BMI) and mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) were combined with details of dietary intake in a semistructured, algorithmic construct to provide a nutritional assessment scheme for use in patients with cirrhosis; evaluated individuals were classified as adequately nourished, moderately malnourished (or suspected to be), or severely malnourished. There was good interobserver agreement in the nutritional categorization of 50 patients with cirrhosis (34 men, 16 women) using this scheme (kappa = 0.79) and significant associations with the contributing objective variables--namely, BMI (Spearman's correlation r = -0.78; P < .001) and relative MAMC (r = -0.69; P < .001)--confirming its internal validity. There was a significant association between nutritional categorization in 20 patients with cirrhosis (10 men, 10 women) and estimates of total body protein obtained using a four-component model (r = -0.45; P = .046), confirming the external validity of the scheme. Finally, a significant association was found between poor nutritional status in 116 patients with cirrhosis (65 men, 51 women), followed for 14 to 52 months, and shorter subsequent survival (P = .0005), confirming the scheme's predictive validity. In conclusion, a global assessment scheme has been devised that provides a simple, reproducible, valid, and predictive method of assessing nutritional status in patients with cirrhosis.

The state of the provision of nutritional care to hospitalized patients--results from The Elan-Cuba Study

Current nutritional care provision to 1905 patients hospitalized in 12 Cuban hospitals is presented in this article, diagnosed after conducting the Hospital Nutrition Survey (HNS), as part of the activities comprising the Cuban Study of Hospital Malnutrition (Elan-Cuba). The obtained HNS results were contrasted with standards regarding the nutritional assessment of hospitalized patient, the diagnosis of nutritional disorders occurring in the patient, and the identification of patients in need of nutritional intervention. The Elan-Cuba Study returned a 41.2% malnutrition rate [Barreto Penié J, Cuban Group for the Study of Hospital Malnutrition. State of malnutrition in Cuban hospitals. Nutrition 2005;21:487-97]. However, malnutrition was recorded as an independent diagnosis in only 0.4% of the surveyed clinical charts. It could not be shown that medical care teams were systematically applying any of the techniques and procedures recommended for the assessment of the nutritional status of hospitalized patients. In the best of the cases, only 40.6% of the surveyed patients had their height and weight recorded in their clinical charts at admission, 9.0% of those with more than 15 days of hospitalization had a prospective value of weight, and less than 20.0% of them had their serum albumin levels and/or their counts of Lymphocytes annotated on their clinical charts. Although 10.9% of the surveyed patients (median of the subcategories values; range: 3.5-41.2%) fulfilled an indication for nutritional intervention, support (enteral and/or parenteral) was only provided to less than 15.0% of them, with the exception made of patients on NPO, of whom 32.3% received either of the two modes of artificial nutrition listed above. It is to be noticed that none of the patients with chronic organic failure were on nutritional support at the time of the survey. The current nutritional care provision to the hospitalized patient might explain the increased rates of hospital malnutrition documented in the Elan-Cuba Study, and should lead to the design and urgent implementation of nutritional and metabolic intervention programs in the surveyed hospitals, given the deleterious effects of nutritional disorders upon the ultimate results of the medical and surgical actions, and the quality and costs of medical care.

State of malnutrition in Cuban hospitals

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the current state of undernutrition as observed in 1905 patients hospitalized in 12 Cuban health care institutions, as part of a Latin American, multinational survey similar in design and goals.

METHODS

We surveyed 1905 randomly selected patients from 12 Cuban hospitals in a two-phase study. Patients' clinical charts were audited in phase 1, the Subjective Global Assessment was used to assess patients' nutritional status in phase 2. The study was locally conducted by a properly trained team.

RESULTS

The frequency of undernutrition in Cuban hospitals was 41.2% (95% confidence interval = 38.9 to 43.4), and 11.1% of patients were considered severely undernourished. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) univariate relations were identified between undernutrition and patient's age and sex. Nutritional status was a dependent of the patient's instruction level (P < 0.05). Patients' nutritional status was statistically associated with the presence of cancer and infection. Undernutrition was highly prevalent among cancer patients, no matter the stage of medical or surgical treatment. Undernutrition became extremely frequent after surgical treatment in non-cancer patients. High nutritional risks hospital services/specialties were identified: geriatrics (56.3%), critical care (54.8%), nephrology (54.3%), internal medicine (48.6%), gastroenterology (46.5%), and cardiovascular surgery (44.8%). Malnutrition rates increased progressively with prolonged length of stay.

CONCLUSION

A high malnutrition rate was observed among participating hospitals. The design and inception of policies that foster intervention programs focusing on early identification of hospital malnutrition and its timely management is suggested to decrease its deleterious effects on outcomes of health care in the participating hospitals.

Prognostic factors of non-HIV immunocompromised patients with pulmonary infiltrates

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To assess the outcome and the prognostic factors in 200 non-HIV immunocompromised patients with pulmonary infiltrates (PIs).

DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

SETTING

An 800-bed university hospital.

PATIENTS

Two hundred non-HIV immunocompromised patients (hematologic malignancies, 79 patients; hematopoietic stem cell transplants [HSCTs], 61 patients; and solid-organ transplants, 60 patients).

METHODS

Investigation of prognostic factors related to mortality using a multiple logistic regression model.

RESULTS

Specific diagnosis of the PI was obtained in 78% of the cases (infectious origin was determined in 74%). The overall mortality rate was 39% (78 of 200 patients). Patients with HSCT had the highest mortality rate (53%). A requirement for mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR], 28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9 to 93), an APACHE (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation) II score of > 20 (OR, 5.5; 95% CI, 2 to 14.7), and a delay of > 5 days in establishing a specific diagnosis (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.2 to 9.6) were the variables associated with mortality at the multivariate analysis. The subgroup analysis based on underlying disease confirmed the prognostic significance of these variables and the infectious etiology for the PI.

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality in immunocompromised patients is high, particularly in patients undergoing HSCT. Achieving an earlier diagnosis potentially may improve the mortality rate of these patients.