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Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of Lung Transplantation From Brain Death vs. Circulatory Death Donors: A Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Submitted by

Akshay Patel

Source

Source Name: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation

Source URL: https://www.jhltonline.org/article/S1053-2498(24)02024-2/abstract

Author(s)

Cristiano Spadaccioa, Antonio Salsanob, Salah Altarabsheha, Alejandra Castro-Varelaa, Carlos Gallego Navarroa, Fernando Juarez Cassoa, Ahmed Abdelrehima, Kartik Andia, Rafaela V.P. Ribeiroc, Kukbin Choia, Gustavo Knopa, Cassie C. Kennedyd, Kelly M. Penningtond, Philip J. Spencera, Richard Dalya, Mauricio Villavicencioa, Marcelo Cypele, Sahar A. Saddoughi

This study evaluated outcomes in lung transplantation (LTx) using lungs from donation after brain death (DBD) vs. donation after circulatory death (DCD). After analyzing 21 studies with more than 60,000 patients, researchers found that early mortality was slightly higher in the DCD group (5.5 percent vs. 4.5 percent for DBD). However, long-term survival at one, three, and five years was significantly better for DCD (86.7 percent, 75.5 percent, and 63.2 percent, respectively) compared to DBD (82.1 percent, 65.6 percent, and 51.3 percent). No significant differences were observed in rates of acute rejection, primary graft dysfunction (PGD), or postoperative complications between the groups.

This study is important for the cardiothoracic community because it highlights the potential of DCD to expand the donor pool while achieving comparable, if not superior, long-term outcomes.