Liver transplantation performed in a SARS‐CoV‐2 positive hospitalized recipient using a SARS‐CoV‐2 infected donor

Manzia, Tommaso Maria; Gazia, Carlo; Lenci, Ilaria; Angelico, Roberta; Toti, Luca; Monaco, Andrea; Anselmo, Alessandro; Baiocchi, Leonardo; Grossi, Paolo; Tisone, Giuseppe

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). COVID‐19 currently affected more than 108 million people worldwide with a fatality rate of 2.2%. Herein, we report the first case of liver transplantation (LT) performed with a liver procured from a SARS‐CoV‐2 positive donor. The recipient was a 35‐year‐old SARS‐CoV‐2 positive female patient affected by severe end‐stage HBV‐HDV‐related liver disease (model of end‐stage liver disease = 32) who had neutralizing SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies (titers 1:320) at time of LT. The LT was successful, and the graft is functioning two months after surgery. The recipient cleared the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection 1 month after LT. The current case shows that the prompt use of SARS‐CoV‐2 infected liver donors offers an invaluable life‐saving opportunity for SARS‐CoV‐2 positive wait‐listed patients who developed neutralizing SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies.