Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society
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Several donor and graft characteristics are associated with higher failure rates for deceased donor liver transplantation (LT). The influence of reversible cardiac arrest in the donor on these failure rates is unclear because of scarce and inconsistent data. The aim of this study was to determine whether reversible cardiac arrest in the donor could affect the early postoperative outcome of LT. ⋯ Furthermore, the 2 groups had similar graft and patient survival rates at the 6-month mark (87% and 88%, respectively). In conclusion, our study shows that brief and reversible cardiac arrest in organ donors does not affect post-LT allograft survival and function, even though liver function test values are higher for these donors. However, the risk of using these grafts needs to be balanced against the potential benefits for the recipients.
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Editorial Comment
Model for end-stage liver disease exceptions: proceed with caution.