For this month’s episode, JHLT The Podcast explores two impactful studies from the October issue of The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. The episode is hosted by Daniel R. Goldstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of JHLT, who is joined by the JHLT Digital Media Editors. Listen now to hear study authors discuss their work, their studies, and next steps for their research.

First, the editors speak with first author Michael Harhay, PhD (pictured left) and senior author Edward Cantu, MD (pictured right), about their study from the University of Pennsylvania entitled “Epidemiology, risk factors and outcomes of lung retransplantation: an analysis of the ISHLT Transplant Registry.” Dr. Goldstein and Erika Lease, MD, interview Drs. Harhay and Cantu about the study.

The objective of the study was to leverage the ISHLT Thoracic Transplant registry using an updated cohort of patients that underwent lung retransplantation to obtain an updated summary of the epidemiology of lung retransplantation; to examine the importance of the time between primary transplantation and retransplantation on outcomes after retransplantation; and to identify risk factors of mortality following lung retransplantation.

Next, we hear from Anne Dipchand, MD (pictured), Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, who is senior author on the study, “Eplet matching in pediatric heart transplantation: The SickKids experience.” Dr. Goldstein and David Schibilsky, MD, discuss the study with Dr. Dipchand.

This single-center retrospective study measured allograft survival in 77 patients while performing HLA typing, antigen mismatch, and eplet mismatch analysis, with the goal of comparing the molecular level HLA matching with antigen level HL matching in post-heart transplant outcomes in children.

Follow along in the October issue at www.jhltonline.org/current, or, if you’re an ISHLT member, log in at ishlt.org/journal-of-heart-lung-transplantation.  Don’t already get the Journal and want to read along? Join the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation at www.ishlt.org for a free subscription, or subscribe today at www.jhltonline.org.