Use of Hepatitis C-Positive Donor Livers in Liver Transplantation

The purpose of this article is to review recent literature regarding the use of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive donor livers in liver transplantation. Given the prevalence of HCV-positive patients on the waitlist coupled with high waitlist mortality, use of HCV-positive livers may be a means to meet patient needs. This review seeks to primarily answer the following questions: can HCV-positive livers be used safely and effectively? Are new direct acting antiviral medications safe and effective in HCV-positive liver recipients?

Use of HCV-positive donor livers for liver transplantation in HCV-positive recipients is increasing. These donor livers have equivalent patient and graft survival when compared to HCV-negative donor livers in HCV-positive liver transplant recipients. Recent studies suggest that use of direct acting antiviral medications in HCV-positive liver transplant recipients can be successful, although there is insufficient data for their use in recipients of HCV-positive donor livers.

HCV-positive donor livers may be safely and effectively used in HCV-positive liver transplant recipients. Direct acting antiviral medications appear safe and effective in HCV-positive liver transplant recipients, but data on their efficacy in HCV-positive liver transplant recipients are limited. Future research should focus on the use of HCV-positive donor livers in HCV-negative liver transplant recipients.