Marginal donor liver versus standard donor liver: A single-center observational study

The effectiveness and safety of marginal donor livers remain controversial. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of marginal donor livers in patients with liver transplantation (LT).

This study included 199 liver donors (including 16 split donors) and 206 liver recipients from January 1, 2018 to January 27, 2020, with case follow-up until July 31, 2021. Clinical data of donors and recipients were retrospectively analyzed and were divided into the marginal donor and standard donor groups according to the criteria of marginal donor livers. Indices of liver and kidney functions, complications, and survival curves of the two groups were compared.

Compared with the standard donor group, the blood creatinine levels were significantly higher in the marginal donor group in the first week after operation (P < 0.05); there were no significant differences in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin levels after LT (all P > 0.05); there was no significant difference in the incidence of complications after LT (P > 0.05); there was also no significant difference in the survival curve (P = 0.335).

There were no significant differences in liver and kidney function and survival curve between the standard donor and marginal donor groups. The marginal donor liver appears safe and reliable for LT and may be an important strategy to expand the donor pool and solve the shortage of organs.