Domino liver transplants: where do we stand after a quarter-century? A US national analysis.

BACKGROUND: Domino liver transplantation (DLT) utilizes a phenotypically normal explant from select recipients as a donor graft in another patient. The procedure is not widely employed and remains restricted to a small number of centers. The purpose of this study was to assess the national profile of DLT in the United States (US) and evaluate current survival outcomes. METHODS: The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database was queried for all liver transplants (LT) between 1996 and 2020. Outcomes of interest were long-term graft and patient survival. RESULTS: Of 181,976 LTs performed nationally during the study period, 185 (0.1%) were DLTs. Amyloidosis and maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) accounted for 83% of dominoed allografts. Out of 210 explants with amyloidosis, 103 (49%) were dominoed into secondary recipients. Only 50 (22%) of all MSUD explants (n = 227) were dominoed. Graft survival was 79%, 73% and 53% at 3-, 5- and 10-years, respectively, for DLT recipients. Overall patient survival was 83%, 76% and 57% at 3-, 5- and 10-years. CONCLUSION: Despite excellent long-term survival outcomes, DLT allografts comprise a very small percentage of the liver donor pool. A large proportion of potential DLTs may be unconscionably excluded despite shortages in deceased donor organs.

Single-center experience of liver transplantation for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, curative resection was considered the cornerstone of treatment for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. More recently, liver transplantation (LT) offered an alternative for patients with unresectable disease. The purpose of this study was to assess our experience with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma and LT. METHODS: A perihilar cholangiocarcinoma protocol was commenced in 2006 whereby diagnosed patients were enrolled onto an institutional registry for LT consideration. Data on patient progression and oncologic outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were initially enrolled onto the protocol and 38 proceeded to LT following neoadjuvant chemoradiation (mean age 55.6 ± 11.4 years). Mean time to LT was 3.7 ± 2 months and, among those transplanted, 14 (37%) had underlying primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Thirteen (34%) patients developed malignant recurrence and there were no differences in disease recurrence between PSC (n = 3) and non-PSC (n = 10) patients (p = 0.32). Overall patient survival was 91%, 58% and 52% at 1-, 3- and 5-years corresponding with 81%, 52% and 46% graft survival, respectively. CONCLUSION: Rigorous patient selection and chemoradiation treatment algorithms can be highly effective in treating perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. For appropriately selected candidates, LT can provide a 52% 5-year survival for patients who would otherwise have no surgical treatment option.

A novel organ donor facility: a decade of experience with liver donors.

Transplant surgeons have historically traveled to donor hospitals, performing complex, time-sensitive procedures with unfamiliar personnel. This often involves air travel, significant delays, and frequently occurs overnight.In 2001, we established the nation's first organ recovery center. The goal was to increase efficiency,reduce costs and reduce surgeon travel. Liver donors and recipients, donor costs, surgeon hours and travel time, from April 1,2001 through December 31,2011 were analyzed. Nine hundred and fifteen liver transplants performed at our center were analyzed based on procurement location (living donors and donation after cardiac death donors were excluded). In year 1, 36% (9/25) of donor procurements occurred at the organ procurement organization (OPO) facility, rising to 93%(56/60) in the last year of analysis. Travel time was reduced from 8 to 2.7 h (p<0.0001), with a reduction of surgeon fly outs by 93% (14/15) in 2011. Liver organ donor charges generated by the donor were reduced by37% overall for donors recovered at the OPO facility versus acute care hospital. Organs recovered in this novel facility resulted in significantly reduced surgeon hours, air travel and cost. This practice has major implications for cost containment and OPO national policy and could become the standard of care.