Promoting utilization of donors after circulatory death in lung transplantation

Lungs recovered from donation after circulatory death (DCD) are markedly underutilized for transplantation in the U.S. Evidence demonstrating excellent outcomes after DCD lung transplantation underpins the need for strategies to mitigate barriers to DCD lung utilization, including data driven revisions to allocation policy, revising program-specific quality metrics, removing financial barriers, and minimizing logistical disincentives. Expanded DCD transplantation is vital to reduce waitlist mortality and increase lung transplant rate.