Should Hepatitis C Donors Be Used in Naive Urgent Status Patients on the Heart Transplant Waitlist?

摘要

Purpose of Review The aim of this commentary is to review contemporary data on the use of hearts from hepatitis C positive donors. Recent Findings There continues to be a critical shortage of suitable heart donors available for patients with advanced heart failure requiring transplantation. Historically, donors with chronic hepatitis C virus were not utilized for heart transplantation due to concern about poor post-transplant outcomes. This was due, in part, to concerns about successfully treating chronic hepatitis C after transmitting the infection from donor to recipient. The availability of direct-acting anti-viral therapies is changing this paradigm. These therapies are generally well-tolerated and have excellent rates of viral clearance. Summary We believe that heart donors with chronic hepatitis C should be routinely utilized for patients listed for urgent heart transplantation.