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Objectives: In high-income countries, myosteatosis, sarcopenia, and obesity with sarcopenia (sarcopenic obesity) are associated with adverse outcomes after liver transplantation. In South Africa, an upper-middleincome country, we investigated the prevalence and impact of these muscle abnormalities on posttransplant outcomes in adult liver transplant recipients., Materials and Methods: We reviewed 106 liver transplant recipients and measured muscle abnormalities on computed tomography using segmentation software. The parameters evaluated were myosteatosis by mean muscle attenuation, sarcopenia by skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra using validated cutoffs, and sarcopenic obesity as sarcopenia and a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m². The effects of these abnormalities on 1-year patient and graft survival (primary endpoint) and length of hospital and intensive care unit stay, costs, and 90-day and overall postoperative complications (secondary endpoints) were assessed., Results: Most liver transplant recipients were male (n = 64, 60%). Alcoholic and/or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis were the most frequent indications for transplant (n = 38, 36%). Myosteatosis occurred in 76 patients (72%), 69 patients (65%) had sarcopenia, and 36 patients (34%) had sarcopenic obesity. One year after transplant, myosteatosis was associated with higher mortality (hazard ratio of 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-11.13; P = .049), greater risk of allograft failure (hazard ratio of 4.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-13.5; P = .021), and longer hospital and intensive care unit stays compared with those without myosteatosis. All patients with no body composition abnormalities were alive at 1 year compared with 69% with coexisting myosteatosis and sarcopenia., Conclusions: In our setting, liver transplant recipients with myosteatosis had a higher risk of death and allograft failure at 1 year compared with patients without body composition abnormalities.

Objective: Transplant a liver from an HIV-positive mother to her HIV-negative child to save the child's life., Design: A unique case of living donor liver transplantation from an HIV-positive mother to her HIV-negative child in South Africa. Two aspects of this case are ground-breaking. First, it involves living donation by someone who is HIV-positive and second it involves controlled transplant of an organ from an HIV-positive donor into an HIV-negative recipient, with the potential to prevent infection in the recipient., Methods: Standard surgical procedure for living donor liver transplantation at our centre was followed. HIV-prophylaxis was administered preoperatively. Extensive, ultrasensitive HIV testing, over and above standard diagnostic assays, was undertaken to investigate recipient serostatus and is ongoing., Results: Both mother and child are well, over 1 year posttransplantation. HIV seroconversion in our recipient was detected with serological testing at day 43 posttransplant. However, a decline in HIV antibody titres approaching undetectable levels is now being observed. No plasma, or cell-associated HIV-1 DNA has been detected in the recipient at any time-point since transplant., Conclusion: This case potentially opens up a new living liver donor pool which might have clinical relevance in countries where there is a high burden of HIV and a limited number of deceased donor organs or limited access to transplantation. However, our recipient's HIV status is equivocal at present and additional investigation regarding seroconversion events in this unique profile is ongoing.

A patient with end-stage liver disease developed stress-induced Takotsubo cardiomyopathy post liver transplantation, with haemodynamic instability requiring a left ventricular assist device. We discuss the diagnosis and management of this condition.