Objective To summarize and further investigate the initial experience of organ procurement process for organ donation after cardiac death （DCD）. Methods The clinical data，the selected standard，and the organ procurement process of 28 cases of DCD from July 2009 to January 2012 in the liver transplantation center of Guangzhou General Hospital were reviewed and analyzed. Results Twenty-eight cases of DCD all had donated organs successfully. Among these cases，there were 3 cases （10.7%） of the Maastricht Ⅲ， and one case （3.6%） of the Maastricht Ⅳ，and 24 cases （85.7%） of the organ donation after brain death plus cardiac death （DBCD）．Three cases of the Maastricht Ⅲ were practiced the organ procurement process of DCD．One case of the Maastricht Ⅳ was practiced the organ procurement process of DBCD without the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation （ECMO）．Twenty-four cases of DBCD were practiced the organ procurement process of DBCD with the ECMO．The donator warm ischemic time was zero min in DBCD，18 min in Maastricht Ⅳ，and mean 25 min （22-28 min） in MaastrichtⅢ．All the donated organs included 28 livers，40 kidneys，and 2 hearts．And all these organs had been practiced the liver transplantation，the kidney transplantation，and the heart transplantation. Conclusions The organ procurement process for organ DCD includes the DCD process and the DBCD process in China，and the later includes the organ procurement process with the ECMO and without the ECMO．The ECMO could well control the warm ischemia for protecting the donors just without ethics dispute. So，the using of the ECMO for the organ DCD of citizen in China has a very important contribution．
Objective To discuss the criteria of recipient selection，surgical approach，and complications and its theray by using of pediatric donation after cardiac death liver graft in adult recipient. Methods The clinical data of one case of pediatric donation after cardiac death liver to adult recipient was analyzed retrospectively and the literatures were reviewed. Results A 6-year-old girl pronounced brain death due to drowning and on the basis of cardiopulmonary criteria donated the organ．The liver graft weight was 598 g and the warm ischemic time was 10 min. The liver donor was transplanted to a 64-year-old woman，the graft to recipient weight ratio was 1.09%，the graft volume/estimated standard liver volume was 61.8%．The classic orthotopic liver transplantation without bypass was underwent，the postoperative recovery was smooth after the liver transplantation．The CT scan showed that the liver graft volume was 1 003cm3 on day 14 after operation．The patient was discharged on 45 d after orthotopic liver transplantation and the liver function was normal when followed-up 3 months after the operation. Conclusions Pediatric donation after cardiac death liver graft can be successfully utilized to adult recipient．Recipient selection and surgical approach should be decided by conditions of both donor and graft．
The quality of a donor liver after cardiac death is closely associated with energy metabolism during preservation. Ex vivo mechanical perfusion has broad application prospects because this technique can help energy metabolism and repair ischemia injury of donors′ livers. Some core issues are presented in this review in order to provide references for propelling secure application of liver transplantation based on donation after cardiac death.
Objective To investigate the risk factors of early allograft dysfunction (EAD) following C-Ⅱ donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver transplantation. Methods The data of 46 donors and recipients of C-ⅡDCD liver transplantation between March 2012 and August 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The baseline data such as democracy, death cause, donor warm ischemic time (DWIT) and cold ischemic time (CIT) in EAD group and the non-EAD group (control group) was compared, and whether these factors were risk factors of EAD was investigated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Statistical cut-off values for significant factors of the unfavorable analysis were defined by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. The 6-month and 1-year graft survival rate were compared. Results The EAD group had a longer DWIT compared with the group [(17.6±4.7) and (12.7±6.2) minutes, P=0.009]; meanwhile, the EAD group had a longer CIT compared with the control group [(13.7±4.7) and (11.0±3.5) hours, P=0.020]. The other factors in both groups showed no statistical significance (P>0.05). The ROC curve revealed the cut-off values of DWIT and CIT were 17.50 minutes [area under the curve (AUC)=0.713, P=0.020] and 9.85 hours (AUC=0.723, P=0.015), respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the DWIT [odds ratios (OR)=1.340, 95% confidence interval (CI)(1.042, 1.654), P=0.008] and CIT [OR=1.396, 95% CI (1.075, 1.698), P=0.015] were all independent risk factors of EAD. The 6-month and 1-year graft survival rate of the EAD group and the control group was 85.7% vs. 92.3% (P=0.607) and 71.4% vs. 84.6% (P=0.587), respectively. Conclusions EAD may occured in C-Ⅱ donors with DWIT≥17.50 minutes or CIT≥9.85 hours in DCD liver transplantation. The livers can be used as a resource for clinical use and also have a good outcome.
Objective To establish a stable model of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) using donation after cardiac death (DCD) in rat, and to analyze death causes within 24 h after OLT, then explore appropriate treatment strategies for it. Methods The heart arrested 10 min before liver graft harvesting. The rat OLT model using DCD was performed by Kamada two-cuff technique. The operative time and death were recorded. Results One hundred OLT models using DCD were performed successfully within 40 d, the donor operative time was (20±5) min, the recepient operative time was (55±5) min, the anhepatic phase was (20±3) min. Nine rats were died during the operation, including 4 cases of massive haemorrhage, 1 case of anesthesia accident, 1 case of longer anhepatic phase, 1 case of sleeve implant failure, and 2 cases of aeroembolism. Twenty-two rats died within 12 h after the operation, including 6 cases of intestinal necrosis, 6 cases of anastomotic bleeding, 3 cases of pulmonary edema, 4 cases of intraoperative massive haemorrhage, 2 cases of vascular embolism, and 1 case of unexplained death. Nineteen rats died 12–24 h after the operation, including 9 cases of intestinal necrosis, 3 cases of anastomotic bleeding, 2 cases of pulmonary edema, 1 case of intraoperative massive haemorrhage, 1 case of vascular embolism, and 3 cases of unexplained death. Conclusions There are many reasons resulting in early death of rat OLT using DCD, postoperative intestinal necrosis, intraoperative and postoperative bleeding, and postoperative pulmonary edema are main causes. For these reasons, prevention and improvement measures are helpful to establish a stable model and improve a successful rate of rat OLT using DCD.