Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39571638›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation2025

Donor sequence number is not associated with worse lung transplant outcomes regardless of transplant center case volume.

Alfred J Casillan, Emily L Larson, Alice L Zhou, Jessica M Ruck, Armaan F Akbar, Allan B Massie, Dorry L Segev, Christian A Merlo, Errol L Bush

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Article in The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Alfred J CasillanDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
Emily L LarsonDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
Alice L ZhouDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
Jessica M RuckDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
Armaan F AkbarDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
Allan B MassieDepartment of Surgery, New York University, New York, New York.
Dorry L SegevDepartment of Surgery, New York University, New York, New York.
Christian A MerloDivision of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
Errol L BushDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: errol.bush@jhu.edu.

Funding

Patient Oriented Research in Kidney Disease and Transplant SurgeryK24DK101828 · NIDDK · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI SEGEV, DORRY L. · 2014 to 2018
$922k
Frailty and post-liver transplant delirium and cognitive impairment in older recipientsF32AG067642 · NIA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI RUCK, JESSICA MOORE · 2021 to 2023
$258k
NIA NIH HHS F32 AG067642NIDDK NIH HHS K24 DK101828
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPotential lung transplantation (LTx) recipients are assigned a donor sequence number (DSN) based on their position on the match list. Since a higher DSN offer has already been declined for other recipients, some providers may assume that a high DSN connotates poorer allograft quality. This study evaluated the association between DSN and outcomes, the correlation between transplant program case volume and the utilization of higher DSN lungs, and whether LTx outcomes differ between lower- and higher-volume programs.

methodsUsing the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database, LTx cases from 2015-2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Recipients were categorized into low (<20), medium (21-50), high (51-100), and very high (>100) DSN groups. The primary outcome was LTx survival. For cases involving high or very high DSN donors, a subgroup analysis compared survival among programs with annual transplant volumes in the bottom, middle 2, and top quartiles.

resultsMedian survival was similar among the low (6.9 years), medium (6.1), high (5.9), and very high DSN (6.5) groups (log-rank p = 0.09). Higher DSN donors were more commonly accepted by higher-volume LTx centers. However, the annual case volume of the transplanting institution did not impact survival when high (log-rank p = 0.16) or very high DSN (log-rank p = 0.36) donors were used.

conclusionsHigher DSN should not be considered an independent marker of low allograft quality. Additionally, lower-volume centers achieved similar post-transplant outcomes as higher-volume centers for recipients receiving higher DSN lungs. These findings underscore that surgeons must judge each donor offer independent of other programs' assessments.

Indexed as

Donor SelectionHospitals, High-VolumeLung TransplantationRegistriesTissue and Organ ProcurementTissue DonorsAdultFemaleFollow-Up StudiesGraft SurvivalHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSurvival RateTreatment Outcomedonor selectiondonor sequence numberlung transplantationlung transplant outcomestransplant center case volume

Identifiers

PMID39571638
PMCPMC11925671

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.