Donation After Circulatory Death Donors for Lung Transplantation: the US and Worldwide Status

Purpose of Review Due to the persistent sparsity of donor organs, today, organ donation after circulatory death (DCD) has become a promising solution to alleviate the burden of waitlist mortality. Recent Findings With survival rates comparable to that of standard donor lungs, DCD utilization is growing worldwide. However, the barriers to DCD lung transplantation adoption should be explored. Summary The utilization of DCD lungs is currently a viable option for lung transplantation. In this review, we weigh up the ethical, legal, and clinical barriers facing this alternative, then suggest some solutions for the current setbacks. We also look at cutting-edge innovations accompanying DCD utilization and comment on prospective research directions in this field that may change future practice standards.