The utilization of solid organs for transplantation in the setting of infection with multidrug-resistant organisms: an expert opinion

Organ transplantation remains the optimal treatment for many patients suffering from end-stage organ disease. Increasing numbers of patients admitted to intensive care units, among them potential heart-beating, brain-dead organ donors, are exposed to infections with multidrug-resistant organisms, in particular carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-KP). An extensive literature search failed to reveal any information regarding the eligibility for transplantation of organs from such donors. For this reason, in 2009, the Israel Transplant Center, together with the Israeli Society for Infectious Diseases, established a working group with the intention of developing a national-specific approach to the use of these organs. In this viewpoint article, we present an algorithm based on expert opinion and our clinical experience with a donor who was found to be an asymptomatic carrier of CR-KP.