Donor Hepatic Artery Thrombosis Recognized During Organ Procurement for Liver Transplant

Arterial injuries in graft organs may be recognized during procurement and may contribute to organ waste. These injuries may be more likely in the presence of abnormal anatomy. We observed 2 liver grafts that had hepatic artery thrombosis in the donor vessels. The graft from a 64-year-old woman who had circulatory death was discarded because of potential decreased perfusion of the lobe and risk of thrombosis extending to the main hepatic artery after transplant. The graft from a 68-year-old woman donor who had brain death was used successfully as a reduced-size liver graft that included the caudate lobe. In summary, donor grafts that have hepatic artery thrombosis may or may not be used in transplant, depending on the cause of donor death, graft quality, and anatomic location of donor hepatic artery thrombosis.