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BACKGROUND: The existing literature suggests that exercise for cirrhotic patients is safe and favours significant improvement to their physical capacity. However, exercise training for this population and how to deliver activities, especially in severe stages of the disease and while waiting for a liver transplant (LT), remain undefined. AIM: To review the existing exercise prescriptions for cirrhotic patients on the waiting list for LT, their results for frailty evolution and their effect on clinical outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines and searching the PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus databases. The keyword "liver transplant" was used in combination with the free terms "frailty" and "exercise" for the literature review. Clinical studies that evaluated the effect of a regular training program, independent of supervision or the duration or intensity of physical exercise, in cirrhotic patients on the waiting list for LT were reviewed. The data on safe physical activity prescriptions following Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type recommendations were extracted and summarised. RESULTS: Nine articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Various instruments for frailty assessment were used, frequently in combination. Five studies prescribed physical activity for patients, one in-person and four to be performed remotely and unsupervised. The remaining four studies only used a self-report instrument to assess the level of physical activity. None reported adverse events related to exercise training. The exercise frequency mainly varied from daily to a minimum of twice per week. The intensity depended on frailty and included increasing levels of activity. The type of exercise was predominantly a combination of aerobic and resistance training. The duration of exercise varied from 4 to 12 wk. Three articles evaluated the effect of the exercise program on clinical outcomes, reporting a reduction in 90-d readmission rates post-transplant and improved frailty scores, as well as improved survival of cirrhotic patients waiting for LT. CONCLUSION: Routine frailty assessment is essential for this population. Although more robust evidence is required, the prescription of exercise is safe and can improve patients' functional capacity, improving pre- and post-LT outcomes.

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Background: Although hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) improves posttransplant outcomes, setting up machine perfusion programs may be subjected to specific obstacles under different conditions. This study aims to describe the establishment of HOPE in a real-life setting in Brazil. Methods: Extended criteria donors in donation after brain death organs preserved by HOPE were accepted for higher-risk candidates needing expedited transplantation, perceived as those who would benefit most from the technique because of its limited availability. Extended criteria donors was defined by the Eurotransplant criteria. High-risk transplant candidates were characterized by suboptimal surgical conditions related to the recipient or the procedure. Results: Six HOPE-preserved grafts were transplanted from February 2022 to August 2022. The mean donor risk index was 1.7 (SD 0.5). One organ was severely steatotic, and 3 had an anticipated cold ischemia time above 12 h. Recipients' mean model for end-stage liver disease was 28.67 (SD 6.79), with 1 case of retransplant, 1 of refractory ascites, and 1 of acute-on-chronic liver failure. The mean cold ischemia time was 5 h 42 min (SD 82 min), HOPE 6 h 3 min (SD 150 min), and total preservation time 11 h 46 min (SD 184 min). No case had early allograft dysfunction. The mean length of hospital stay was 10 d with 100% graft and patient survival and no ischemic cholangiopathies at a median follow-up of 15 mo (min 12, max 18). Costs and country-specific legal regulations for device utilization were the major hurdles to implementing the program. Conclusion: We presented a pathway to introduce and rationalize the use of HOPE in a scenario of challenging donor-recipient matching with good results. These findings may aid in implementing machine perfusion programs, especially in settings with limited resources or complex transplant logistics.

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This case report describes the longest reported HOPE treatment ever for an extended criteria donor organ in donation after brain death performed to enable the transplantation of a surgically complex retransplant case. Although further evidence is required, HOPE may facilitate liver retransplantation, expanding the donor organ pool and reducing time constraints on the operation.

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BACKGROUND: Despite its association with higher postoperative morbidity and mortality, the use of extended criteria donor (ECD) livers for transplantation has increased globally due to the high demand for the procedure. AIM: To investigate the prevalence of ECD in donation after brain death (DBD) and its impact on organ acceptance for transplantation. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of DBD organ offers for liver transplantation between 2017 and 2020 in a high-volume transplant centre. The incidence of the Eurotransplant risk factors to define an ECD (ET-ECD) among DBD donors and the likelihood of organ acceptance over the years were analysed. The relationship between organ refusal for transplantation, the occurrence, and the number of ET-ECD was assessed by simple and multiple logistic regression adjustment. RESULTS: A total of 1619 organ donors were evaluated. Of these, 78.31% (n = 1268) had at least one ET-ECD criterion. There was an increase in the acceptance of ECD DBD organs for transplantation (1 criterion: from 23.40% to 31.60%; 2 criteria: from 13.10% to 27.70%; 3 criteria: From 6.30% to 13.60%). For each addition of one ET-ECD variable, the estimated chance of organ refusal was 64.4% higher (OR 1.644, 95%CI 1.469-1.839, P < 0.001). Except for the donor serum sodium > 165 mmol/L (P = 0.310), all ET-ECD criteria increased the estimated chance of organ refusal for transplantation. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of ECD DBD was observed. Despite the increase in their utilisation, the presence and the number of extended donor criteria were associated with an increased likelihood of their refusal for transplantation.

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Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome that occurs in patients with chronic liver disease and is characterized by acute decompensation, organ failure and high short-term mortality. Partially due to the lack of universal diagnostic criteria, the actual ACLF prevalence remains unclear; nevertheless, it is expected to be a highly prevalent condition worldwide. Earlier transplantation is an effective protective measure for selected ACLF patients. Besides liver trans-plantation, diagnosing and treating precipitant events and providing supportive treatment for organ failures are currently the cornerstone of ACLF therapy. Although new clinical specific therapies have been researched, more studies are necessary to assess safety and efficacy. Therefore, future ACLF management strategies must consider measures to improve access to liver transplantation because the time window for this life-saving therapy is frequently narrow. Thus, an urgent and global discussion about allocation and prioritization for transplantation in critically ill ACLF patients is needed because there is evidence suggesting that the current model may not portray their waitlist mortality. In addition, while donor organ quality is meant to be a prognostic factor in the ACLF setting, recent evidence suggests that machine perfusion of the liver may be a safe tool to improve the donor organ pool and expedite liver transplantation in this scenario.

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INTRODUCTION: Several clinical studies have demonstrated the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of machine perfusion in liver transplantation, although its economic outcomes are still underexplored. This review aimed to examine the costs related to machine perfusion and its associated outcomes. METHODS: Expert opinion of several groups representing different machine perfusion modalities. Critical analysis of the published literature reporting the economic outcomes of the most used techniques of machine perfusion in liver transplantation (normothermic and hypothermic ex situ machine perfusion and in situ normothermic regional perfusion). RESULTS: Machine perfusion costs include disposable components of the perfusion device, perfusate components, personnel and facility fees, and depreciation of the perfusion device or device lease fee. The limited current literature suggests that although this upfront cost varies between perfusion modalities, its use is highly likely to be cost-effective. Optimization of the donor liver utilization rate, local conditions of transplant programs (long waiting list times and higher MELD scores), a decreased rate of complications, changes in logistics, and length of hospital stay are potential cost savings points that must highlight the expected benefits of this intervention. An additional unaccounted factor is that machine perfusion optimizing donor organ utilization allows patients to be transplanted earlier, avoiding clinical deterioration while on the waiting list and the costs associated with hospital admissions and other required procedures. CONCLUSION: So far, the clinical benefits have guided machine perfusion implementation in liver transplantation. Albeit there is data suggesting the economic benefit of the technique, further investigation of its costs to healthcare systems and society and associated outcomes is needed.

Assuntos