Donation after circulatory death heart transplantation in the United States: An early report of donor characteristics.

Abstract

In the United States, heart transplantation continues to be constrained by a limited supply of donor organs. Over the past decade, we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of candidates listed for heart transplantation, with the number of transplants performed increasing, although at a lesser rate.1 A multitude of efforts are being undertaken to increase the size of the donor pool, including the transplantation of expanded-criteria donor hearts, the use of normothermic ex vivo perfusion techniques, as well as a renewed interest in transplanting hearts following donation after circulatory death (DCD).