Practical Recommendations for Long-term Management of Modifiable Risks in Kidney and Liver Transplant Recipients

Abstract

Short-term patient and graft outcomes continue to improve after kidney and liver transplantation, with 1-year survival rates over 80%; however, improving longer-term outcomes remains a challenge. Improving the function of grafts and health of recipients would not only enhance quality and length of life, but would also reduce the need for retransplantation, and thus increase the number of organs available for transplant. The clinical transplant community needs to identify and manage those patient modifiable factors, to decrease the risk of graft failure, and improve longer-term outcomes. COMMIT was formed in 2015 and is composed of 20 leading kidney and liver transplant specialists from 9 countries across Europe. The group's remit is to provide expert guidance for the long-term management of kidney and liver transplant patients, with the aim of improving outcomes by minimizing modifiable risks associated with poor graft and patient survival posttransplant. The objective of this supplement is to provide specific, practical recommendations, through the discussion of current evidence and best practice, for the management of modifiable risks in those kidney and liver transplant patients who have survived the first postoperative year. In addition, the provision of a checklist increases the clinical utility and accessibility of these recommendations, by offering a systematic and efficient way to implement screening and monitoring of modifiable risks in the clinical setting. 12 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC, University Hospital Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 13 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals KU Leuven, Belgium.14 Abdominal Transplant Surgery, Microbiology and Immunology Department, University Hospitals KU Leuven, Belgium. 15 Department of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Reina Sofía University Hospital, IMIBIC, CIBERehd, Spain. www.transplantjournal.com S1 S olid organ transplantation has evolved from an experimental procedure to an established treatment option for many types of end-stage organ failure. Both patient and graft outcomes are continuing to improve, and 1-year patient and graft survival currently exceed 80%.1,2 However, survival rates gradually decline over the long term. In kidney transplant, 5-and 10-year graft survival rates in Europe are 77% and 56%, and for liver transplant, 64% and 54% (Figures 1 and 2). 3,4 Although most European countries have seen an increase in both living and deceased donation, transplantation is not available to all who would benefit from the procedure, and there is considerable morbidity and mortality for those listed for transplant.6 Therefore, maximizing long-term graft survival and reducing the need for retransplantation is paramount, not only in improving outcomes for the recipients but also for those awaiting a graft. The improvement in outcomes is predominantly due to reduction in (Transplantation. 2017;101:S1-S41). The authors were approached by Astellas to discuss the practical implementation o...

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