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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
Normothermic Ex Vivo Kidney Perfusion for the Preservation of Kidney Grafts prior to Transplantation
Published on: July 15, 2015
Perfluorocarbon improves post-transplant survival and early kidney function following prolonged cold ischemia
T Marada1, K Zacharovova, F Saudek
1Department of Transplant Surgery and Center for Experimental Medicine, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic.
Background:
The two-layer organ preservation method (TLM) based on oxygenated perfluorocarbon overlaid with University of Wisconsin (UW) solution has been successfully used in clinical islet and experimental heart and intestine transplantation. We tested whether this technique would prevent tissue damage and improve kidney function in a model of syngeneic kidney transplantation with prolonged ischemia time.
Methods:
Kidneys were stored for 24 h either in UW solution (n = 16), with TLM (n = 16) or transplanted immediately (control group, n = 12). In half of the animals, survival was observed and in the other animals grafts were procured for semiquantitative histological scoring and TUNEL apoptosis assessment 24 h after transplantation.
Results:
One-month survival rates in the UW, TLM and control groups were 12.5, 62.5 and 100%, respectively (UW vs. TLM, p < 0.01). Median creatinine levels 24 h after transplantation were 381, 299 and 121 microM, respectively (UW vs. TLM, p < 0.02). Histological scoring showed more severe tissue damage in the UW group than in the TLM group (p < 0.05). Apoptosis was more frequent in the UW group than in the TLM group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
We demonstrated for the first time that conservation with TLM significantly improves the outcome of kidney transplantation in a rat model and should therefore be further studied in larger animals.
