Does serum hypoalbuminemia predict late mortality on the liver transplant waiting list?
Our data suggest that hypoalbuminemia at listing reveals a vulnerable population of low MELD patients who are underserved by their MELD score over time. Such patients comprise almost 40% of the contemporary wait list and contribute substantially to list mortality given their poor access to transplantation. Targeting these at-risk patients with grafts from living or extended criteria donors may thus significantly diminish overall list mortality, and future initiatives to decrease overall wait list mortality must focus on improved risk stratification for low MELD patients.
Interferon gamma administration after injury stimulated monocyte HLA-DR antigen expression and density but failed to improve interferon gamma production, a T-cell-mediated function. The incidence of infection was not decreased by the administration of interferon gamma for 10 days. Improvement in monocyte HLA-DR antigen expression did not correlate with a global restoration of immune function, and other interventions will be necessary to decrease infection after injury.