The number of patients listed active for kidney transplantation has continued to rise over the last 10 years, leading to significantly increased wait-list time for patients awaiting kidney transplantation in the USA. This increased demand has led to a supply-demand mismatch and should prompt clinicians to seek timely solutions to improve access to available organs. Hepatitis C virus positive [HCV(+)] kidneys continue to be discarded without clear evidence that they lead to poor outcomes in the current era of highly efficacious HCV treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Increased utilization of HCV(+) donor kidneys will decrease wait-list time and improve availability of donor organs. Emerging data suggests that HCV can be successfully treated with DAAs after kidney transplantation with 100% sustained virologic response rates and no significant changes from baseline kidney function. Utilization of HCV(+) donor kidneys should be considered more liberally in the era of highly effective HCV treatment. Further studies are warranted to assess the long-term effect of HCV(+) donor kidneys in transplant recipients in the new era of DAAs.
Keywords: graft failure; hepatitis C; kidney donor; kidney transplantation; outcome.