https://doi.org/10.1177/1089253217753399 Seminars in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia 2018, Vol. 22(1) 67–80 © The Author(s) 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1089253217753399 journals.sagepub.com/home/scv Noteworthy Literature Series 2017 Introduction This annual review presents noteworthy publications regarding the perioperative care for adult patients under- going abdominal organ transplantation: pancreas, intes- tine, renal, and liver. In this yearly update, in addition to focusing on several key articles pertinent to the anesthesi- ologist caring for patients undergoing abdominal organ transplantation, we also review highlights from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients annual reports. Pancreas Transplantation Cardiovascular Outcomes Patient and graft survival have steadily increased for all pancreas transplants both nationally and internationally. 1,2 Simultaneous pancreas kidney transplant (SPK) graft and patient outcomes continue to improve, supporting com- bined transplant as a cure option for diabetic patients with concurrent kidney disease. 2 However, the 2015 Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN)/ Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) report highlights lower survival rates in type II diabetic patients after all types of pancreas transplant, likely secondary to this group’s older age and comorbidities. 1 Kim et al 3 con- ducted a large, retrospective National Inpatient Sample study to evaluate perioperative cardiovascular complica- tions after SPK, pancreas after kidney transplant (PAK), and pancreas transplant alone (PTA). 3 Kim’s group reviewed cardiovascular complications, including acute myocardial infarction (MI), atrial fibrillation and flutter, congestive heart failure (CHF), and transient ischemic attack/stroke in 13 399 pancreas transplants between 2003 and 2012. Recipients who underwent SPK were younger and had more cardiovascular risk factors, including ane- mia, hypertension, and previous coronary revasculariza- tion. The overall rate of cardiovascular complications was 4.9% across all pancreas transplants. The authors demon- strated a significantly higher rate of stroke and CHF in SPK recipients compared with PAK/PTA recipients in uni- variate analysis. This association between SPK and cardio- vascular complications remained significant in multivariate analysis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48; P = .01); driven primarily by stroke (OR = 13.41; P = .001). In-hospital mortality was not statistically different between SPK and PAK/PTA recipients after multivariable adjustment. 3 Uremia is a well-known independent risk factor for stroke, 4,5 and patients undergoing SPK are more likely to be uremic than patients undergoing PAK/PTA. 753399SCV XX X 10.1177/1089253217753399Seminars in Cardiothoracic and Vascular AnesthesiaZerillo et al research-article 2018 1 The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA 2 University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Corresponding Author: Tetsuro Sakai, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Email: sakait@upmc.edu Noteworthy Literature published in 2017 for Abdominal Organ Transplantation Jeron Zerillo, MD 1 , Natalie K. Smith, MD 1 , and Tetsuro Sakai, MD, PhD, MHA 2 Abstract In 2017, we identified more than 400 peer reviewed publications on the topic of pancreas transplantation, more than 500 on intestinal transplantation, more than 4000 on renal transplantation, and more than 4700 on liver transplantation. This annual review highlights the most pertinent literature for anesthesiologists and critical care physicians caring for patients undergoing abdominal organ transplantation. We explore a wide range of topics, including risk for and prediction of perioperative complications, recommendations on perioperative management, economic analyses, and education of the trainees in abdominal transplantation anesthesia and critical care. Keywords review, anesthesiology, transplantation, pancreas, intestine, kidney, liver