Pumping new life into old ideas: Preservation and rehabilitation of the liver using ex situ machine perfusion.
Artif Organs
; 44(2): 123-128, 2020 Feb.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31691326
ABSTRACT
Recent advances in machine perfusion technology have reinvigorated the field of liver transplantation with the possibilities of vastly improving the efficiency and safety of the life-saving procedure. With this improved preservation technology, transplant surgeons are now able to use previously untransplantable donor livers without significantly compromising patient outcomes. Early clinical studies demonstrate the ability to extend preservation times and assess a graft's potential viability using normothermic machine perfusion, in addition to restoring the energy supply in donor livers by supporting metabolism through circulation of vital nutrients and blood-based oxygen carriers. Future endeavors for surgeons and scientists should focus on improving criteria to assess viability, optimizing protocols for perfusion research, investigating mechanisms of poor graft viability, and targeting these mechanisms with novel therapies to improve graft function prior to transplantation. Long-term goals include extending preservation times on the scale of days to weeks, enabling long-distance organ sharing, and establishing regional organ perfusion centers to streamline the procurement, perfusion, and transplantation process.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Organ Preservation
/
Perfusion
/
Tissue Donors
/
Liver Transplantation
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Guideline
/
Risk_factors_studies
/
Sysrev_observational_studies
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Artif Organs
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article