Application of ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) in lung transplantation

Lung transplantation was the ultimate method to treat the end-stage benign lung diseases. Although the lung transplantation has been increasing quickly in the past 30 years, the shortage of donor lung still limited its development. Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) was a promising technique that could provide the platform to preserve, evaluate and repair the donor lung graft. In this article, we give a general review of the development of EVLP, its clinical application and the animal model. With the increasing experience of clinical EVLP, some pre-identified unsuitable donor lungs have been re-evaluated and accepted for transplantation. EVLP have now been considered to be an effective way to expand the donor pool.