Porcine Normothermic Isolated Liver Perfusion

Area of Science:

• Transplantation research
• Organ preservation
• Physiological modeling

Background:

• Porcine liver models are valuable for human transplant research due to anatomical and physiological similarities.
• Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) sustains liver grafts under near-physiological conditions using oxygenated, nutrient-enriched perfusate.
• NMP offers applications in studying ischemia-reperfusion injury, pre-transplant assessment, and organ repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and describe a porcine model of ex situ normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) for livers with warm ischemic damage.
• To detail the methodology for inducing warm ischemia and preparing the liver for NMP.
• To outline the perfusion circuit and monitoring parameters for assessing liver viability and injury.

Main Methods:

• Induction of warm ischemia in porcine livers via thoracic aorta clamping.
• Graft procurement and preparation, including cold preservation solution flush and red blood cell concentrate preparation.
• Establishment of a closed NMP circuit with a red blood cell-based perfusate, oxygenator, and heat exchanger.
• Continuous monitoring of hemodynamic and blood gas parameters, with perfusate, tissue, and bile sampling.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of a porcine NMP model for livers subjected to warm ischemic injury.
• Detailed methodology for creating and maintaining physiological perfusion conditions ex situ.
• Established protocols for monitoring liver function and injury markers during NMP.

Conclusions:

• The described porcine NMP model provides a robust platform for investigating liver preservation and repair strategies.
• This model effectively simulates transplantation conditions, enabling detailed study of organ viability and injury.
• The methodology supports research into donation after circulatory death (DCD) liver grafts.