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Donation After Circulatory Death Donors for Lung Transplantation: the US and Worldwide Status

  • Lung Transplant (R Bag, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pulmonology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Due to the persistent sparsity of donor organs, today, organ donation after circulatory death (DCD) has become a promising solution to alleviate the burden of waitlist mortality.

Recent Findings

With survival rates comparable to that of standard donor lungs, DCD utilization is growing worldwide. However, the barriers to DCD lung transplantation adoption should be explored.

Summary

The utilization of DCD lungs is currently a viable option for lung transplantation. In this review, we weigh up the ethical, legal, and clinical barriers facing this alternative, then suggest some solutions for the current setbacks. We also look at cutting-edge innovations accompanying DCD utilization and comment on prospective research directions in this field that may change future practice standards.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as:

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

      Ahmed Alnajar & Ali Ghodsizad

    2. Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

      Ahmed Sayed & Omar Shazly

    3. Department of Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

      Sophia H. Roberts

    4. Division of Cardiac Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

      Sameer A. Hirji

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    1. Ahmed Alnajar
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    2. Ahmed Sayed
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    Correspondence to Sophia H. Roberts.

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    A. Alnajar, A. Sayed, O. Shazly, S.H. Roberts, A. Ghodsizad, and S.A. Hirji declare no conflict of interest.

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    Alnajar, A., Sayed, A., Shazly, O. et al. Donation After Circulatory Death Donors for Lung Transplantation: the US and Worldwide Status. Curr Pulmonol Rep 10, 149–157 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13665-021-00281-3

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