Donation after circulatory death liver transplantation: An in‐depth analysis and propensity score–matched comparison

Background Careful donor‐recipient matching and reduced ischemia times have improved outcomes following donation after circulatory death (DCD) liver transplantation (LT). This study examines a single‐center experience with DCD LT including high‐acuity and hospitalized recipients. Methods DCD LT outcomes were compared to a propensity score–matched (PSM) donation after brain death (DBD) LT cohort (1:4); 32 DCD LT patients and 128 PSM DBD LT patients transplanted from 2008 to 2018 were included. Analyses included Kaplan‐Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards models examining patient and graft survival. Results Median MELD score in the DCD LT cohort was 22, with median MELD of 27 for DCD LT recipients with decompensated cirrhosis. No difference in mortality or graft loss was found (p