Pediatric vascularized composite allotransplantation: What is the landscape for obtaining appropriate donors in the United States?

Abstract

Listing the world's first pediatric bilateral hand transplant patient for a donor posed many challenges including matching the appropriate donor age, bone size, skin tone, and growth potential in an already limited donor population. This study describes the prevalence and distribution of potential pediatric VCA donors in the United States. We assessed the UNOS database from 2008 to 2015 to identify the prevalence of potential pediatric VCA donors. Standard VCA inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to the dataset for all pediatric solid organ donors. Frequency analyses were performed of characteristics important for VCA matching. The dataset began with 57 300 brain‐dead donors and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria including age <18, decreased to 4663 (8.1%). The number of pediatric potential VCA donors per UNOS region ranged from 11 to 112/year. The majority of pediatric potential VCA donors were blood type O Whites, with the least common profile being blood type AB of “other” ethnicity. The present study confirmed that pediatric VCA donors are rare and may require longer travel times for procurement and listing at multiple centers in order to find a suitable donor. This will be a limiting factor for the expansion of pediatric VCA.

The 2020 Facial Transplantation Update: A 15-Year Compendium

“… 67 Nonetheless, discussions addressing donor availability, a dynamic consent process, treatment adherence, and procedural considerations are underway. 68 , 69 …”

The landscape of vascularized composite allograft donation in the United States

“…Although the potential donor population for VCAs has not been extensively studied, it can be confidently stated that there are far fewer potential pediatric VCA donors than adult VCA, although there is expanding excitement for pediatric VCA transplantation [22]. Mendenhall et al [23] are the first to describe the prevalence and distribution of potential VCA donors in the pediatric population in the United States based on a custom UNOS dataset with deceased donor deaths. Mendenhall et al utilized the UNOS database and a profile of a pediatric hand transplant recipient to demonstrate that there would be on average 15 donors across the entire United States per year who would be suitable donors [22].…”