Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiopulmonary failure in organ donation: Assessing liver transplant outcomes

Liver transplantation continues to face significant organ shortages and efficient utilization of marginal donors is paramount. This study evaluates the practice patterns and outcomes in liver transplantation when utilizing allografts from marginal donors who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. We performed a retrospective review of the Gift of Life (PA, NJ, DE) organ-procuring organization database for transplants performed using donors supported on ECMO for nondonation purposes. These were cross-referenced to the transplant recipients within the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database, and the outcomes of liver transplants using donors on ECMO support were compared with those not requiring ECMO. Organ use and nonuse patterns were then evaluated in ECMO-supported donors, identifying the factors associated with nonuse compared with the factors associated with graft failure. Thirty-nine of the 84 ECMO-supported donors contributing at least one intra-abdominal organ for transplant donated a liver. Graft survival and patient survival up to 5 years were comparable between transplants from ECMO and non-ECMO-supported donors, and no cases of primary nonfunction were seen in the ECMO group. ECMO support was not associated with 1-year graft failure on regression modeling. Additional regression analyses within the ECMO donor population identified bacteremia (HR: 19.81) and elevated total bilirubin at donation (HR: 2.44) as predictive of post-transplant graft failure. Livers from donors supported on ECMO before donation appear safe to use in select transplant settings. Better understanding of the impact of predonation ECMO on liver allograft function will help guide the optimal use of these scarcely used donors.