Extended criteria donor lungs do not impact recipient outcomes in pediatric transplantation

Pediatric lung transplantation remains the only curative treatment option for some end-stage lung diseases in childhood. Recipient numbers outnumber potential donor organs, and therefore a broader group of donor organs must be considered for pediatric lung transplantation. Herein we describe the outcome of utilizing extended criteria donor organs in pediatric lung transplantation.

A retrospective analysis was performed on all pediatric lung transplantations performed at the Hannover Medical School between April 2010 and December 2016. Donors were assigned to a group fulfilling standard donor criteria (International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation [ISHLT] 2003) or not. Recipients' early- and mid-term morbidity and mortality were recorded.

A total of 57 pediatric lung transplantations were performed: 27 donors fulfilled standard donor criteria (standard criteria donor [SCD] group) and 30 donors were extended criteria donors not fulfilling standard donor criteria (extended criteria donor [ECD] group). Pre-operative recipient characteristics, including age (median [IQR]: 14 [10‒15] vs 13 [10.8‒15] years, p = 0.71), underlying disease, admission to intensive care unit (37.0% vs 50%, p = 0.42), mechanical ventilation (14.8% vs 10.0%, p = 0.70), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support (11.1% vs 23.3%, p = 0.30) of both groups were similar. In the ECD group, more atypical volume reductions of the allograft were performed (0% vs 16.7%, p = 0.05), yet incidence of post-operative ECMO support was similar for the 2 groups. ECD recipients spent significantly less time on mechanical ventilation (median [IQR]: 2 [1‒2] vs 1 [1‒2] days, p = 0.04)] after surgery, but total intensive care unit stay and total hospital stay were similar between groups. Pulmonaryfunction testing results at discharge from initial hospital stay, after 1 year, and at last assessment were also similar. Freedom from chronic lung allograft dysfunction at 1 and 5years after transplantation showed no significant differences between groups. Survival rates up to 5years (67.9% vs 90.5%, p = 0.35) after transplantation were comparable between groups, yet, counterintuitively, long-term survival in the ECD group showed superior trends compared with the SCD group.

ECD lungs can be used safely for pediatric lung transplantation without compromising short- and mid-term results.