Author information
1 Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology.
2 Department of Medicine, Liver Center, Gastrointestinal Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW:
Owing to long waitlist times and high waitlist morbidity and mortality, strategies to increase utilization of hepatitis C viremic-deceased donor organs are under investigation in kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantation.
RECENT FINDINGS:
Direct-acting antiviral medications for hepatitis C virus infection have high cure rates and are well tolerated. Small, single-center trials in kidney and heart transplant recipients have demonstrated that with early posttransplant direct-acting antiviral therapy, 100% of uninfected recipients of hepatitis C viremic organs have been cured of infection after transplantation.
SUMMARY:
In this manuscript, we review the risks and rewards of utilizing hepatitis C viremic organs for transplantation.