Introduction and objectives: The success of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) has transformed the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and has led to the expansion of the deceased donor organ pool for liver transplantation.
Material and methods: We present a single center retrospective review of liver transplantations performed on HCV-seronegative recipients from HCV-seropositive organs from 11/2017 to 05/2020. HCV nucleic acid testing (NAT) was performed on HCV-seropositive donors to assess active HCV infection.
Results: 42 HCV-seronegative recipients underwent a liver transplant from a HCV-seropositive donor, including 21 NAT negative (20 liver, 1 simultaneous liver kidney transplant) and 21 NAT positive liver transplants. Two (9.5%) HCV antibody positive/NAT negative recipients developed HCV viremia and achieved sustained virologic response with DAA therapy. The remaining patients with available data (19 patients) remained polymerase chain reaction (PCR) negative at 6 months. 20 (95%) of HCV antibody positive/NAT positive recipients had a confirmed HCV viremia. 100% of patients with available data (15 patients) achieved SVR. Observed events include 1 mortality and graft loss and equivalent rates of post-transplant complications between NAT positive and NAT negative recipients.
Conclusions: HCV-seropositive organs can be safely transplanted into HCV-seronegative patients with minimal complications post-transplant.
Keywords: Cirrhosis; Hepatitis C; High risk donors; Liver transplantation; Outcomes.
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