Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
12:13
Ex Situ Normothermic Machine Perfusion of Donor Livers
Published on: May 26, 2015
11.2K
Machine perfusion in solid organ transplantation: where is the benefit?
1Department of General and Transplant Surgery, Ruprecht Karls University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Langenbeck'S Archives of Surgery
|January 17, 2014
Summary
Machine perfusion (MP) shows promise for heart and lung transplants, but more clinical trials are needed. Current evidence doesn't support MP as a routine method over cold storage for organ preservation.
Area of Science:
- Transplantation Medicine
- Organ Preservation Techniques
Background:
- Machine perfusion (MP) has a long history in organ transplantation, contrasting with the current gold standard of cold storage (CS).
- Significant advancements in transplantation outcomes have occurred over the past five decades.
- MP remains under investigation as a potential organ preservation method for select cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on machine perfusion in solid organ transplantation.
- To focus on findings from clinical trials regarding MP efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of clinical trials on machine perfusion for organ transplantation.
Main Results:
- MP shows potential benefits, particularly for heart and lung transplantation, in improving postoperative outcomes.
- Limited clinical trial evidence currently prevents a general recommendation for or against routine MP use.
- Cold storage remains the established standard, and its use should not be abandoned without strong justification.
Conclusions:
- Machine perfusion appears promising for heart and lung transplants but requires higher-level clinical evidence for broader application.
- Randomized clinical trials are essential to establish evidence-based recommendations for MP.
- Further research is needed to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying MP's effects on transplanted organs.
