Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2025
Functional Human Liver Preservation and Recovery by Means of Subnormothermic Machine Perfusion
Published on: April 27, 2015
Successful temporary machine perfusion of marginal liver grafts early after retrieval or shortly before implantation
Thomas Minor1, Jan Georgi1, Laura Malkus1
1Department for Surgical Research, University Hospital Essen Hufelandstr. 55, D-45147 Essen, Germany.
Objectives:
The benefit of machine perfusion during storage of liver grafts retrieved after cardiac death should be investigated as applied either at the beginning or near the end of the preservation period.
Methods:
Rat livers were explanted 20 min after cardiac arrest of the donor and cold-stored (CS) for 18 h. Other grafts were additionally subjected to 2 h of normothermic machine perfusion (MP) either 3 h after retrieval (early MP) or 3 h before reperfusion (late MP), thus extending total ischemic time to 20 h. The 3 h period should represent a short transport period between a resident regional pumping center and the explant or implant hospital, respectively. Viability of all livers was assessed thereafter by warm reperfusion in vitro.
Results:
In comparison to the controls, both regimens significantly improved hepatic recovery upon post-preservation reperfusion as evaluated by enzyme release, bile production, and energetic recovery. Molecular upregulation of pro-inflammatory signals was also significantly mitigated. No functional differences between early and late machine perfusion could be disclosed.
Conclusion:
Our data suggest that it might not be necessary to hurry with the attempt to connect the graft to a machine early after retrieval.
