RESUMO
Effective use of all available donated organs is critical, in order to meet the increasing demand for transplants. The present study explored liver transplantation with livers that were donated following cardiac death (DCD). According to the guidelines established by The Red Cross Society of China, 42 DCD organs were procured. Selected donors were treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) prior to the organ retrieval. The present single-center study included 6 liver transplantations of DCD organs (5 liver transplants and 1 liver-kidney combined transplant). All 6 recipients had a successful recovery without significant complications. The serum alanine transaminase, total bilirubin and international normalized ratio returned to the normal levels within a short period of time following transplantation, and the liver function remained normal during the follow-up period, which lasted up to 24 months. The present report demonstrated the feasibility of orthotopic liver transplantation using DCD livers. The pre-conditioning DCD donors and optimization of the recipient's condition using ECMO, played a crucial role in ensuring the success of transplantation.
RESUMO
It is critical to effectively use every available organ to meet the increasing demands for liver transplantation. Situs inversus is a rare congenital anomaly caused by obstruction of viscus rotation during embryonic development. Situs inversus was once regarded as a contraindication to liver transplantation because of the technical difficulties associated with the unique vascular anatomy and concern about achieving accurate graft positioning. Here, we present a successful case of liver transplantation using a graft from a donor with situs inversus totalis. The related experience will contribute to opening up new realms for the use of such rare organ resources.
