Over the last several years, the new lung allocation system has resulted in broader, more equitable sharing of organs across the United States. At some individual transplant centers, this means wait times and the level of illness of patients on the waitlist are increasing.
The lung transplant team at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas (Baylor Dallas), part of Baylor Scott & White Health, is evaluating and testing two new preservation and transport technologies for donor lungs. The goal of both technologies is to improve the method by which organs are preserved after procurement until they get to the recipient.
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, part of Baylor Scott & White Health, is currently enrolling patients in ENDCOV-I: The Study of the Use of Nintedanib in Slowing Lung Disease in Patients with Fibrotic or Non-Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Related to COVID-19. Baylor Dallas is one of seven trial sites throughout the United States.
Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major driver of liver-related morbidity and mortality across the world. There are 2.4 billion alcohol users (950 million heavy alcohol users) and between 1 in 10 and 1 in 20 people abuse or misuse alcohol. Combined, alcohol-associated cirrhosis and liver cancer account for 1 out of every 100 deaths worldwide.
Acuity circles (AC) liver allocation policy was implemented to eliminate donor service area geographic boundaries from liver allocation and to decrease variability in median model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score at transplant and wait list mortality. A team of researchers at Baylor Scott & White Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute found that the new policy also significantly increased transportation costs and acquisition fees.
