The appropriate allocation of “orphan graft” in living donor liver transplantation: Simple solutions to a complex problem
✍ Scribed by Michael Wachs; James Trotter
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2006
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 54 KB
- Volume
- 12
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1527-6465
- DOI
- 10.1002/lt.20672
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The intra-operative death of a liver transplant recipient is a devastating complication that occurs very infrequently. When the deceased-donor liver transplantation (DDLT) candidate dies in the operating room, the appropriate disposition of the donor graft is relatively straightforward. If possible, the graft is allocated to the next available recipient. However, the intra-operative death of a liver donor liver transplantation (LDLT) candidate is a far more complicated situation. In this issue of Liver Transplantation, Nadalin et al. report four cases of intra-operative death of an LDLT candidate after the donor hepatectomy has been completed. 1 In this situation, an hepatic lobe graft has been created that can no longer be transplanted into the intended recipient and is therefore designated as an "orphan graft." The appropriate allocation of the "orphan graft" requires special consideration and raises several important questions.