The Liver Meeting 2019-Debate (PRO): HCV+ Donation is No Longer Research and is Ready to Move to Standard of Care

Debate (PRO): HCV+ Donation is No Longer Research and is Ready to Move to Standard of Care

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker, Paul Kwo, advocates moving hepatitis C virus (HCV) donation from research to standard clinical care due to the organ shortage. He argues for utilizing HCV-positive donors, citing increasing percentages in deceased donors. Kwo highlights successful outcomes using direct-acting antiviral agents post-transplant and emphasizes the need for clear patient education on risks and benefits, along with national policy implementation for DAA access. The short-term effectiveness of HCV-positive organ transplants is comparable to using HCV-negative organs. While potential long-term effects are unknown, Kwo suggests the benefits currently outweigh the risks, positioning this practice as non-research moving forward.

Asset Caption

Presenter: Paul Yien Kwo

Keywords

hepatitis C virus

organ shortage

HCV-positive donors

direct-acting antiviral agents

organ transplant