Abstract :
[en] Aim: Donation after cardiac death (DCD) has been proposed to partly overcome the organ donor shortage. In liver transplantation, the additional warm ischemia linked to DCD procurement may promote higher rate of primary non-function and ischemic type biliary lesions. In this study we reviewed the results of DCD liver transplantation at the University of Liège. Patients and Methods: From 2003 to 2007, 13 controlled DCD liver transplantations were consecutively performed. The records of all donors and recipients were retrospectively reviewed, particularly evaluating the outcome and the occurrence of biliary complications. Mean follow-up was 25 months. Results: Mean donor age was 51 years and their mean intensive care stay was 5.4 days. Mean time between ventilation arrest and cardiac arrest was 9.3 min. Mean time between cardiac arrest and arterial flush was 7.7 min. No touch period was 2 to 5 min. Mean graft cold ischemia was 295 min and mean suture warm ischemia was 38 min. Postoperatively there was no primary non-function. Mean peak transaminase was 2,546 UI/ml. Patient and graft survival was 100% at one year. Two patients (15%) developed graft main bile duct stenosis and underwent endoscopic management. No patient developed symptomatic intrahepatic bile duct strictures or needed retransplantation in the follow-up. Conclusions: The experience of the transplantation department of the University of Liege confirms that controlled DCD donors may be a valuable source of transplantable liver grafts, in case of short procurement warm ischemia and short transplant cold ischemia.
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