Re: Fwd: Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant Recipients

[Guest guest]

I know of one person who got a heart transplant here in Milwaukee WI.. St. Luke's hospital..(In my support group at the hospital were I had mine!) He also has hepatitis C and the heart donor did too.Guess it don't matter huh.. And what if you were real bad off and the only donor was a person who had hep too.. But their liver was still in great shape huh..Would it matter.. Even if it only bought a few more years.. And the possibility of clearing though TX after transplant!! Think about this gang..Kathy dannegrl <dannegrl2003@...> wrote: Im not saying I agree or even disagree. This brings up confused emotions for me. How do you all feel? d Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant Recipients SchorrMedscape Medical News 2005. © 2005 Medscape May 26, 2005 (Seattle) — Liver transplant recipients currently infected with either hepatitis C or previously with hepatitis B do not have to wait for a hepatitis-negative donor organ, but may have equally good outcomes using a hepatitis-positive organ, according to research presented here at the American Transplant Congress 2005: 6th Annual Joint Meeting of

the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the American Society of Transplantation.While the practice of using livers from hepatitis-positive donors is fairly well accepted, there are still some centers that decline the organs for hepatitis-positive patients in favor of hepatitis-free organs. However, these findings should encourage them to reconsider the use of hepatitis-infected organs on corresponding patients."This is a pool of organs we can safely use," lead author E. de Vera, MD, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, told Medscape. "When used appropriately, it is safe, the outcomes are good, and it increases the number of available organs."de Vera said his center conducted around 1,100 total liver transplants during the time of the study, and about 100 were from donors with either hepatitis C or hepatitis B core–positive antibodies.The study compared outcomes for hepatitis-positive patients who received these livers with patients who received livers with no hepatitis infection and found that patients fared just as well whether they received a hepatitis-positive or hepatitis-negative donor organ."We found these patients did just as well, and the patient and graft survival were the same," de Vera noted. "Hepatitis should not preclude patients from being organ donors."The study also looked at the outcomes of liver transplant recipients of hepatitis C-positive livers, hepatitis B core–positive antibodies, and those positive with both agents between 1997 and 2004. There were 28 transplanted livers positive for both viruses, 58 positive for hepatitis B core–positive antibodies, and 34 positive for hepatitis C.All of the transplant recipients received the same immunosuppression therapy of either tacrolimus or cyclosporine and steroids. Those receiving livers from hepatitis B–positive antibody donors also received hepatitis B immune globulin and/or the antiretroviral drug lamivudine. The recipients were similar in age, sex, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores of disease severity.The patient survival rates after an average of two years was 68% for those receiving livers with both viruses, 76% for those receiving livers with the hepatitis B antibodies, and 82% for those receiving livers with hepatitis C. Graft survival rates were 64%, 65%, and 76%, respectively.The donor livers with hepatitis C were used only in patients already infected with hepatitis C, as the reinfection rate is 100%, de Vera said. However, these patients did just as well as those with hepatitis C who were given a hepatitis-negative liver."If a patient has hepatitis C, it does not matter if they receive a hepatitis-positive or

hepatitis-negative liver," de Vera said. "The outcomes are the same," Dr. de Vera speculated that if the donated organ carries a less aggressive version of the hepatitis C virus, the patient could actually be better off.The livers with hepatitis B–positive antibodies were transplanted into recipients who previously were exposed either to hepatitis B, had current infections, were immune via vaccination, or occasionally were uninfected patients in cases of extreme emergency.Only 4.6% of the patients who received the hepatitis B antibody–positive organs seroconverted, despite preventive medicine. However, de Vera pointed out that hepatitis B is "easily controlled with antiviral drugs, and even if it comes back, it is very

mild.""This is a useful study; the long-term outcome is good," Michele Alonzo, MD, research coordinator for the transplant group at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, who was unaffiliated with the research, told Medscape. "It is a good tool to prove to patients that we can use these organs, and your waiting time can be shortened. There is more risk (of developing hepatitis , but most patients are willing to accept that risk."The investigators had no financial disclosures.ATC 2005: 6th Annual Joint Meeting of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the American Society of

Transplantation: Abstract 1138. Presented May 24, 2005.Reviewed by D. Vogin, MD Kathy Brunow

[Guest guest]

Boo see your point, And as far as me ever recieving a hep liver ok. No prob with me. Or any other needed organ. My concern is this, The rules and regs are not followed now. Would it just make it worse? More lax on the rules. I would hope it would ease up the massive overload or the whole system. I hate the thought of someone getting ill from my organs. See Im a confused mess on this. I love the thought of more livers available for transplant. d Kathy Brunow <kathy-boo@...> wrote: I know of one person who got a heart transplant here in Milwaukee WI.. St. Luke's hospital..(In my support group at the hospital were I had mine!) He also has hepatitis C and the heart donor did too.Guess it don't matter huh.. And what if you were real bad off and the only

donor was a person who had hep too.. But their liver was still in great shape huh..Would it matter.. Even if it only bought a few more years.. And the possibility of clearing though TX after transplant!! Think about this gang..Kathy

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And if they already have Hepeatitis C?? Think about this..How can you infect some one who is already infected!!! They have so many checks and balances on transplantation..dannegrl <dannegrl2003@...> wrote: Boo see your point, And as far as me ever recieving a hep liver ok. No prob with me. Or any other needed organ. My concern is this, The rules and regs are not followed now. Would it just make it worse? More lax on the rules. I would hope it would ease up the massive overload or the whole system. I hate the thought of someone getting ill from my organs. See Im a confused mess on this. I love the thought of more livers available for transplant. d Kathy Brunow <kathy-boo@...> wrote: I know of one person who got a heart transplant here in Milwaukee WI.. St. Luke's hospital..(In my support group at the hospital were I had mine!) He also has hepatitis C and the heart donor did too.Guess it don't matter huh.. And what if you were real bad off and the only donor was a person who had hep too.. But their liver was still in great shape huh..Would it matter.. Even if it only bought a few more years.. And the possibility of clearing though TX after transplant!! Think about this gang..Kathy Kathy Brunow

[Guest guest]

I

think that as long as they don’t LIMIT us to hcv+ organs, it’s a good thing.

The number of hcv+ people continues to rise and that means the number of “clean”

organs will correspondingly drop. I’d rather my low-damage liver go to SOMEONE

rather than getting tossed in the trash. A + liver is better than no liver to

someone who will die without it. Those are my thoughts and feelings.

De

Fwd: Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant

Recipients

Im not saying I agree or even disagree. This brings up

confused emotions for me. How do you all feel?

d

[Guest guest]

.... but what if it's a different geno type, could that make things worse? (trying to understand both sides)

OT - does anyone know how I can get "spell check" for OE?

Love,DiLibra me, Domine, de morte aeternagraymarshall@...

Re: Fwd: Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant Recipients

And if they already have Hepeatitis C?? Think about this..How can you infect some one who is already infected!!! They have so many checks and balances on transplantation..dannegrl <dannegrl2003@...> wrote:

Boo see your point, And as far as me ever recieving a hep liver ok. No prob with me. Or any other needed organ. My concern is this, The rules and regs are not followed now. Would it just make it worse? More lax on the rules. I would hope it would ease up the massive overload or the whole system. I hate the thought of someone getting ill from my organs. See Im a confused mess on this. I love the thought of more livers available for transplant.

d

Kathy Brunow <kathy-boo@...> wrote:

I know of one person who got a heart transplant here in Milwaukee WI.. St. Luke's hospital..(In my support group at the hospital were I had mine!) He also has hepatitis C and the heart donor did too.Guess it don't matter huh.. And what if you were real bad off and the only donor was a person who had hep too.. But their liver was still in great shape huh..Would it matter.. Even if it only bought a few more years.. And the possibility of clearing though TX after transplant!! Think about this gang..Kathy

Kathy Brunow

[Guest guest]

How can we be sure that they will only give it to a person that already has the disease.I am only at stage and grade 1 fibrosis and I can also donate my kidneys,but I would hate to have someone get them that isn't infected.I got the hep because of peoples carelessness.

Gail

Re: Fwd: Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant Recipients

And if they already have Hepeatitis C?? Think about this..How can you infect some one who is already infected!!! They have so many checks and balances on transplantation..dannegrl <dannegrl2003@...> wrote:

Boo see your point, And as far as me ever recieving a hep liver ok. No prob with me. Or any other needed organ. My concern is this, The rules and regs are not followed now. Would it just make it worse? More lax on the rules. I would hope it would ease up the massive overload or the whole system. I hate the thought of someone getting ill from my organs. See Im a confused mess on this. I love the thought of more livers available for transplant.

d

Kathy Brunow <kathy-boo@...> wrote:

I know of one person who got a heart transplant here in Milwaukee WI.. St. Luke's hospital..(In my support group at the hospital were I had mine!) He also has hepatitis C and the heart donor did too.Guess it don't matter huh.. And what if you were real bad off and the only donor was a person who had hep too.. But their liver was still in great shape huh..Would it matter.. Even if it only bought a few more years.. And the possibility of clearing though TX after transplant!! Think about this gang..Kathy

Kathy Brunow

[Guest guest]

I

read at some point that if you have more than one genotype, one of them would

be dominant. Does it really matter if you have more than one genotype if you’d

be dead without the transplant?

De

Re:

Fwd: Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to

Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant Recipients

.... but what if it's a different geno type, could that make things

worse? (trying to understand both sides)

OT - does anyone know how I can get " spell check " for OE?

Love,

Di

Libra me, Domine, de morte aeterna

graymarshall@...

[Guest guest]

If (please note I said IF) I was going to have a transplant I wouldn't mind a HCV+ one but I wouldn't take a HBC+ one. Too many people have told me that catching Hep B when I already have Hep C could kill me, that's why the first thing the specialist did was vaccinate for Hep B SuZie Di Marshall and Tom Gray <graymarshall@...> wrote: ... but what if it's a different geno type, could that make things worse? (trying to understand both sides) OT - does anyone know how I can get "spell check" for OE? Love,DiLibra me, Domine, de morte aeternagraymarshall@... Re: Fwd: Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant Recipients And if they already have Hepeatitis C?? Think about this..How can you infect some one who is already infected!!! They have so many checks and balances on transplantation..

Next time I'm coming back as a cat

[Guest guest]

.... too true!

Love,DiLibra me, Domine, de morte aeternagraymarshall@...

RE: Fwd: Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant Recipients

I read at some point that if you have more than one genotype, one of them would be dominant. Does it really matter if you have more than one genotype if you’d be dead without the transplant?

De

-----Original Message-----From: Hepatitis CSupportGroupForDummies [mailto:Hepatitis CSupportGroupForDummies ] On Behalf Of Di Marshall and Tom GraySent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 8:21 PMHepatitis CSupportGroupForDummies Subject: Re: Fwd: Hepatitis-Positive Livers Are Safe to Use in Hepatitis-Positive Transplant Recipients

.... but what if it's a different geno type, could that make things worse? (trying to understand both sides)

OT - does anyone know how I can get "spell check" for OE?

Love,DiLibra me, Domine, de morte aeternagraymarshall@...