Treading lightly as we step into a new era: Use of hepatitis C virus-infected organs for transplantation

An unprecedented number of heart transplants were performed in the United States during 2016,1 yet 15% of patients on the waitlist either died or became too sick for transplant.2 Wait times remain unacceptably high for heart transplant candidates. As a result, there has been growing interest in the development of innovative strategies to mitigate the donor organ shortage. During the past decade, the opioid epidemic in the United States has led to a dramatic increase in the number of organ donors who died as a result of drug intoxication.
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Tags: Invited Expert Opinion Source Type: research