Protocol: Definitions and Reporting of Ischemic and Preservation Intervals in Donation After Circulatory Death Lung Transplantation Using Controlled Hypothermic Preservation: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to map how donation after circulatory death (DCD) category, donor warm ischemic intervals, preservation intervals, and DCD-specific post-transplant outcomes are defined and reported in clinical lung transplantation studies using static preservation at approximately 10°C or device-based controlled hypothermic static storage at 4–8°C. We will include primary clinical studies involving at least one DCD lung transplant recipient, including studies reporting combined DCD and donation after brain death (DBD) cohorts. Searches will be conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL, supplemented by trial registry searches, citation searching, and conference abstract searches. Two independent reviewers will perform study selection and data charting. We will summarize reporting practices, assess the availability of DCD-specific data, and identify evidence gaps in the definitions and reporting of donor warm ischemic and preservation intervals. Findings will be synthesized descriptively without meta-analysis. The review will follow JBI methodological guidance and will be reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR.