In situ liver splitting under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in brain-dead donor

Abstract

Hemodynamic instability is generally considered as a contraindication to liver splitting, in particular when using an in situ technique. We describe the cases of two young donors with brain death in whom refractory cardiac arrest and hemodynamic instability were supported by veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO), allowing uneventful in situ splitting. Two adult and two pediatric liver recipients were successfully transplanted with immediate graft function. Favorable outcomes were also observed for the other transplanted organs, including one heart, two lungs, and four kidneys. Refractory cardiac arrest and hemodynamic instability corrected by VA-ECMO should not be considered as a contraindication to in situ liver splitting.