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Normothermic Machine Perfusion of Rat Kidneys for Transplantation
Published on: January 27, 2026
139
Machine perfusion of thoracic organs.
Dirk Van Raemdonck1,2, Filip Rega3,4, Steffen Rex4,5
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Journal of Thoracic Disease
|May 11, 2018
Summary
Machine perfusion (MP) is revolutionizing thoracic organ transplantation. This technology preserves, resuscitates, and assesses hearts and lungs, improving organ quality and transplant outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Thoracic Surgery
- Transplantation Immunology
Background:
- Machine perfusion (MP) has emerged as a significant advancement in thoracic organ preservation.
- MP is increasingly utilized in heart and lung transplantation, particularly for donation after circulatory death (DCD) organs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize current knowledge and clinical progress in MP for thoracic organs.
- To highlight the potential of MP in organ preservation, resuscitation, assessment, and immune modulation prior to transplantation.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent clinical studies and advancements in MP technology for thoracic organs.
- Focus on the application of MP in heart and lung transplantation, including DCD scenarios.
Main Results:
- MP is crucial for cardiac allografts in DCD heart transplantation and pulmonary allografts in uncontrolled DCD lung transplantation.
- MP offers a platform for investigating immune response modulation before allograft reperfusion.
- MP enables pre-transplant organ conditioning in a near-physiologic state outside the body.
Conclusions:
- Machine perfusion represents a promising technology for enhancing thoracic organ transplantation.
- Ongoing clinical trials are expected to define the full impact of MP on organ availability and recipient outcomes.
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