Pre- and post-operative care of transplant patients is an aspect of Critical Care Medicine in which most ICU physicians and nurses have received little or no formal training and are left to cope with this complex population with only incomplete 'on-the-job experience' as a guide. In response to this clinical knowledge gap, ICU Care of Abdominal Organ Transplant Patients provides a concise bedside resource fo intensivists, surgeons, and nurses caring for abdominal organ transplant patients before and after surgery. In a concise, practical style, the authors offer concrete solutions to questions and situations confronted by ICU clinicians. Chapters address general principles of immunosuppression, infectious complications, management, and nursing considerations, plus indications, approach to anesthesia, transplant procedure, and post-operative care for liver, kidney, pancreas, islet cell, and small bowel and multivisceral transplantation.

In all varieties of organ transplants, early results have dramatically improved over the past two decades and failures due to acute rejection are becoming rarer. Efficient immunosuppressive regimens have been developed with the objective of very good results at 1, 3 and 5 years. Successful transplants, however, are significantly less frequent at 10 and 20 years, and many patients require retransplantation. Many factors are involved in late graft loss and it is now well recognized that, in addition to chronic rejection, a number of non-immunologic factors play a prominent role. In the case of renal transplantation, a reduced mass loss (transplantation of a single kidney, sometimes from an aged donor, ischemic injury and alteration of some nephrons in the case of early acute rejection) will result in slowly progressing chronic renal failure, even in the absence of any supplementary attack of an immunological nature. The new treatments must be analyzed in the light of their capacity to reduce these late failures. Several preventive measures can also limit both immunologic and non-immunologic factors of late transplant deterioration.

Non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation (also known as mini-transplantation or reduced-intensity conditioning transplantation) is a major advance in the field of hematopoietic transplantation within the last 5 years. This approach uses non-cytotoxic or reduced-intensity cytotoxic therapy to prepare patients for allografting of hematopoietic stem cells and lymphocytes. It has the potential to deliver the potent anti-tumor immunotherapy and bone marrow replacement capacity of allogeneic stem cell transplantation to patients with reduced treatment-related morbidity and mortality. It may also enable allogeneic transplantation in patients who would be considered ineligible for conventional transplants because of co-morbidity or advanced age. However, this approach may necessitate more careful monitoring of post-transplant chimerism and malignant disease-status than is usual with conventional allografting. There is also controversy regarding the best preparative regimen and graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis to use.

MICHAEL F.A. WOODRUFF Emeritus Professor of Surgery, University of Edinburgh This book grew out of a very successful conference on Organ Transplantation held in Kuwait in December 1982. The material presented at the conference has been expanded and brought up to date, and the result is a well written and authoritative account of many aspects of organ transplantation by a distinguished team of contributors drawn from many countries. A unique feature of the book is the account it contains of the development of organ transplantation in the Middle East. Although, as yet, it has been virtually impossible in Islamic countries to take organs after death for use as transplants, it is beginning to look as if this situation may change. Meanwhile, using living volunteer donors and a small number of cadaveric organs sent from other countries, transplant teams in Kuwait and Turkey are obtaining results with kidney transplants which are as good, in terms of both transplant survival and patient survival, as those reported from acknowledged centres of excellence in the United States, Europe and other countries where organ transplantation has been established for many years.

This volume is based on a very successful meeting on organ transplantation that was held in Kuwait in 1990 under the auspices of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation. An international group of organ transplant experts attended this conference and their contributions and deliberations have been recent1y updated to produce this definitive and authoritative summary of current clinic al practice in organ transplantation. The initial chapters appropriately focus on the immunology of organ trans plantation with special emphasis on the initial events in the induction of alloreactivity, the mechanisms of rejection, and the potential for tolerance induction. A strong emphasis is placed on the diagnosis of rejection by cellular analysis. The section on immunosuppression deals with several new areas of clinical therapy. The section on renal transplantation is unique in several respects, the long-term results from various countries, including the Middle East, are summarized, the use of living unrelated donors and of ABO incom patible donors - all strategies to maximize organ availability - are presented."

This is a time ofexcitement and progress in the field ofxenotransplantation. The work described in this book traces the development of the science of cross-spe cies transplantation, summarizes the current state ofour knowledge, and focuses on approaches directed toward future clinical application. The important question is not whether xenotransplantation will succeed, but rather how and under what circumstances xenografts will provide predictable enough results to warrant clinical application. The fact that the best results to date in clinical xenografting were achieved over three decades ago should not be a matter of discouragement, but rather a stimulus to apply new approaches to this area of work. The shortage of human organs for transplantation is cited frequently as the driving force behind the increased interest in xenotransplantation. This shortage is an undeniable fact, but there are additional potential advantages of xenotrans plantation, such as the ability to schedule replacement surgery on an elective basis and the modification of animals, organs, and tissues to improve acceptabil ity in the human host. The advances in the basic science ofxenotransplantation outlined in this book give hope that the immunologic barriers to xenotransplantation will be overcome and that transplanted organs and tissues will succeed consistently in humans. However, if our experience with human allografts provides an analogy, we may anticipate that clinical progress in xenografts will be plagued by failures and rewarded by successes, often without a complete understanding of the mechan isms involved."

Malignancies are frequent complications in organ transplantation, mainly as the result of infection with certain viruses and of long-term immunosuppression. The epidemiology confirms that the increased incidence concerns certain cancers, especially HIV-related skin cancers and EBV-related lymphoproliferative malignancies. This book covers all currently available information on this important topic of the relationships between transplantation and malignancies: preexisting cancers, posttransplant cancers, their etiology and pathophysiology, their prevention and treatment. A significant part of the volume is devoted to prophylaxis, early detection and modern forms of therapy in posttransplant lymphomas. As a conclusion of all these new data, the theory of immunosurveillance deserves to be significantly modified.

With contributions by D. Albrechtsen, O.H. Bentdal, H. Bondevik, I.B. Brekke, P. Fauchald, J.G. Fjeld, A. Flatmark, A. Foss, A. Hartmann, H. Holdaas, R. Innes, A. Jakobsen, N.E. Klow, B. Lien, O. Oyen, P.F. Pfeffer, K. Rootwelt, G. Sodal and K. Vatne

This volume is the work product of an international group of authors who are experienced in the field of musculoskeletal allografts. The chapters are written by experts in many differing areas of allografting and represents the current knowledge in this rapidly changing dynamic field. The reconstructive community and their patients owe a significant debt of gratitude to Doctors Czitrom and Winkler for this volume. William F. Enneking, M. D. Preface What follows is the result of a timely project bringing together the newest ideas of top experts worldwide in a rapidly growing technology: Orthopaedic Allograft Surgery. The title of the book reflects a method rather than a speciality. It transgresses well established subspecialities of orthopaedic surgery such as joint replacement, oncology, spine, trauma and sports medicine. The technology encompasses knowledge of tissue banking, biology and biomechanics, both in a research and clinical sense. The common denominator for those interested is the need and ability to provide or use allogeneic tissues in orthopaedic applications. Inherent to a multiauthored text based on chapters written by authors from many parts of the world is a variety in format and style. While we tried to some extent reducing large discrepancies, there was no attempt made to eliminate dissimilar ities. We did not aim for a homogeneous textbook. Rather, we asked for originality, novelty, individuality in the presentation of data and concepts. Consequently, chapters vary in format from that seen in a scientific article to that of a descriptive essay."

An up-to-date overview of blood and marrow transplantations, the book discusses in detail Indication to transplantation and pre-transplant considerations. An outlook on the latest developments and their future aspects is included, while problems and pre- and post-transplant complications are fully explored.

Fresh insights into the pathogenic mechanisms by which hyperglycemia induces tissue and organ injurt are the basis for rapidly evolving promising therapies in diabetes. Especially promising as targets for intervention are products of oxidative stress, including kinins and growth factors. Improving results of renal replacement regimes now incorporating pancreatic islet transplants are able to delay and prevent end-organ damage in diabetic individuals. The evolving story of the taming of diabetes is of direct concern to nephrologists, endocrinologists, ophthalmologists, primary care physicians and medical students.

Advances in heart surgical treatment have been impressive in the last 15 years. In end-stage heart disease, procedures are now performed routinely which were only experimental one or two decades ago. Heart transplantation has become a well-established procedure. According to the Gen eral Registry of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 40,738 heart transplantations had been performed through the end of 1997 with survival rates of 78 % at one year, 65 % at five years, and 42 % at ten years. The progress in this field has been due to intense efforts in understanding and modulating immune responses to the trans planted heart, to elaborate therapeutic strategies to constrain infections, and to improved out-patient care. Accordingly, heart transplantation is integrated into the facilities of the health care systems, the routine of physicians, and the awareness of patients. The resulting increase in potential organ recipients has not been met, however, by an equivalent increase of available donor organs. This increasing discrepancy has forced the technical improvement and clinical evalua tion of mechanical circulatory support systems as an option for treatment of critically ill patients with a failing heart. Initially, these assist devices were only used to maintain sufficient circulation in post-cardiotomy heart failure until myocardial function had recov ered. Since the late 1980s, their primary use has been that of bridging patients with heart failure until a suitable organ is available so that heart transplantation can be performed."

Main focus of the new book will be the description and discussion of rat and mouse models for organ transplantation. Various microsurgical techniques will be presented which allow transplantation of functional organs in syngeneic systems. In particular, the extremely difficult methods necessary for organ transplantation in mice will be presented and evaluated. Besides these practical aspects the book will also cover the theoretical sides of organ transplantation like the immunobiology of allotransplantation. Special emphasis will be given to the resurgent field of xenotransplantation. The results from xenograft models developed in the recent years using rats or mice will be reviewed and their impact on future human xenotransplantation will be discussed.

Is the nephrology community facilitating excess cardiovascular deaths in patients with kidney failure and anemia by treating to a subnormal hematocrit? Why have clinicians and nephrologists permitted health insurance companies and the government to decide when anemia therapy should begin in persons with progressive kidney failure? Is iron the only variable that can be manipulated to maximize response to recombinant erythropoietin? Are we using too much intravenous iron in kidney failure patients, and is oral iron supplementation worthless in sustaining iron stores during long-term erythropoietin treatment? When does left ventricular hypertrophy begin to emerge in patients with progressive renal disease and is there convincing evidence that anemia is a significant cause of LVH in this setting? Is darbepoetin alfa, a new novel, long-acting erythropoietin, really superior to recombinant erythropoietin? This book is a compilation of proceedings from a conference in Brooklyn convened to address these and other controversial and unresolved issues in renal anemia management.

Internationally recognized scientists, clinicians, and technologists review and explain the fundamental molecular and cellular biology that has been applied to the emerging field of transplant immunology and xenotransplantation, and what impact these advances might optimally have on medicine and science. The authoritative experts writing here-many of whom made the basic discoveries underlying the recent advances-examine the biological and immunological hurdles to xenotransplantation, illuminating how the immune system interacts with the xenograft and laying a practical foundation for the use of genetic engineering and animal transplants in the treatment of human disease.

Common Liver Diseases and Transplantation: An Algorithmic Approach to Work Up and Management provides a review of liver diseases and transplantation that is comprehensive enough to provide an intellectual basis for the data, yet simple enough to be read and assimilate into clinical practice rapidly. Common Liver Diseases and Transplantation by Dr. Robert S. Brown Jr is written with an intended flow and structure. The early chapters are summaries on topics such as early and late liver disease, workup and diagnosis, and pre- and post-transplant problems. The chapters that follow are liver disease-specific and cover the liver diseases physicians will encounter in their patients. The in-depth chapters provide disease-specific epidemiology and outcomes, as well as diagnostic tables and more detailed algorithms and management approaches. With two decades worth of teaching liver disease both formally as well as in rounds and informal "chalk talks" with residents and fellows, Dr. Robert S. Brown Jr presents a way to think about clinical liver problems with a simple algorithmic method. Common Liver Diseases and Transplantation: An Algorithmic Approach to Work Up and Management will serve as a useful resource for gastroenterologists, fellows, medical students, internists, and internal medicine residents.

MSC (mesenchymal stem cells) have been reported to initiate revascularization after injury, to facilitate engraftment of blood-forming stem cells, and to reduce the incidence of graft-vs. host disease through their immune-suppressive qualities. Finally, bone marrow-derived MSC have been reported to home to areas of solid tumor revascularization, and thus may be used as delivery vehicles to target ablative agents into dividing tumor cells. Recently the characteristics of human MSC from adipose (fat) tissue have also been identified. The possibility of repairing tissues, speeding stem cell engraftment, and targeting solid tumors for specific killing, using MSC easily harvested from bone marrow, or better yet, from unwanted fat tissue, holds broad appeal, and is an intriguing possibility that could have dramatic effect on health care.

This book has information on how to isolate, grow, and characterize MSC from marrow and fat, and gives important insight into how these cells may be used for gene delivery and cellular therapies in the future. Updates on emerging clinical trials are given.

Clinical Management of Renal Transplantation presents The Belfast City and University Hospital experience in renal transplantation. Over the years, the Belfast Renal Transplant Unit has acquired considerable experience in all aspects of renal transplantation which have led to excellent results. The team working in the Belfast Renal Transplant Unit has built up an outstanding reputation which has become widely known. This volume is a comprehensive, practical reference work for senior medical students and nurses as well as for the established nephrologist and transplantation surgeon. It provides a clear and concise picture of the care needed by patients who are being prepared for renal transplantation or who have recently received a kidney transplant.

Ethical Problems in Dialysis and Transplantation presents an overview of issues with which nephrologists and decision makers are confronted in their daily practice. The search for a universal system of ethics and theories of justice are addressed. Furthermore the work provides a normative ethical discussion of ways of distributing resources with a view to selection and commercialization. Others chapters discuss a philosophical and religious analysis of stopping treatment and the clinical and ethical aspects of stopping treatment in dialysis. Different views from different countries on the subject of dialysis and transplantation are covered including the views expressed by contributors from India, Africa, Japan, Great Britain and China. The work presents the clinician with a guide to the ethical considerations underlying the treatment of dialysis and renal transplantation patients.

This book deals with organ failure and the way it can be managed artificially without requiring a transplant. Written by a mixture of European and US physicians and surgeons, each of the chapters compares the artificial organ to what is currently available from the transplant point of view to highlight the current and modern available techniques for organ replacement.

The book will be a useful reading for postgraduate students and people interested in modern surgical and medical technology.

This book covers all topics related to the imaging of organ transplantation. The main part of the book offers in-depth coverage of heart, renal, liver, lung, bone marrow and pancreatic and intestinal transplantation. Each of these topics is discussed firstly in a clinical chapter and then in a radiological chapter. This unique and superbly illustrated volume will be of great assistance to all who work in this field.

Developed by the Blood and Marrow Transplant team at Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute, this pocket guide provides management guidelines for hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients from the moment of their initial consultation throughout the transplant process. It includes indications for transplant, essential details for patient/donor evaluation, recommendations for management of complications during and after transplant, and guidelines for long-term follow up as well as step-by-step instructions for common procedures and documentation guidelines.

An essential tool for providers, this guide presents a multidisciplinary approach to information you will need to provide quality care for your patients.

Surgical Management of Heart Failure brings together the current knowledge on the surgical management of heart failure into one volume. It is designed to have copious illustrations and photographic material that will explain the techniques and surgical management of patients with heart failure in an effective modern format.

Kidney Transplantation: A Guide to the Care of Transplant Recipients is an easy to read, up to date, clinical resource written by experts in the field of kidney transplantation. The book explains how donors and recipients are selected for transplantation, how the surgical procedure is performed, and how the experts recognize and treat rejection.

Clearly illustrated chapters show how the immune system works in the setting of transplantation and how immunosuppressive medications prevent rejection of the transplanted kidney; knowledge essential for the proper care of the transplant recipient.

The acute and long-term care of the patient is described from the perspective not only of proper immunosuppressive medication management, but also from the perspective of comorbidities most common to transplanted patients, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, infectious diseases, malignancies, and bone disease. Special issues that impact the care of the transplant recipient, such as unusual donor sources, nonadherence and insurability are also addressed in separate chapters.

This comprehensive practical guide to transplant patient care is an essential source for the practicing community nephrologist that cares for transplanted patients, as well as medical and surgical residents and fellows in training.

Clear illustrations as well a therapeutic algorithms complement the text, making this an easy to read, up to date source on the clinical practice of kidney transplantation.

With detailed contributions from more than 40 leading authorities on the topic, this Third Edition comprehensively explores the immunobiology, pathophysiology, and clinical manifestations of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-offering sections revealing the most up-to-date research on immune activation and dysregulation, the pathophysiology of target organ damage, and GVHD prevention and treatment.